Kate and Katherine
by djinni14
Summary: There is only one of each person, right? What if one world bled into another one and gave you a chance to view what your life is like on a different world. Are there do-overs in life? Or are they relegated to video games? What if REAL magic was involved? What happens then? Or is all of this just a tease? - Now Complete
1. Chapter 1

**K &K**

 **CH1**

Kate was a little tired as she walked through the airport and went past security, the side of security where no one stopped her. She didn't always fly commercial, it just depended on the job. In this case she didn't need anything she could purchase at her destination and then throw it where no one would ever see it again. Or at least not pin it to her anyway.

She took a shuttle out to where she had parked her car, pressed the button, and heard it come to life with a throaty roar. It was satisfying to hear the horsepower that the one indulgence she had granted herself gave her. With its handling and horsepower there wasn't any car around that could keep up with her if a reason to use it presented itself. So far it hadn't and she worked hard to keep it that way. Even this trip her name according to her passport was Serena Kaye. It was a forgery, the best forgery money could buy. She also had a few more, two of which she had never used and didn't plan to unless she was forced to: _Claire Planchard_ and _Laura Wilson._

She even loved the feel of her little toy as she sat in the driver's seat. Kate loved power and this baby had it in spades. _**Porsche Spyder with the Weissach Package.**_ _The Weissach package is an optional, high-performance upgrade over the standard 918 Spyder model. The package features the use of more carbon fibre components, magnesium wheels and aerodynamic improvements. It is powered by a naturally-asperated 4.6L V8 and two electric motors delivering a total of 887 horsepower. It can reach 62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds._

In her case it US$1,056,400 delivered.

"Hi Eduardo," Kate greeted the guard at her gated community. He was even armed and actually knew how to use it. "Good evening Ms. Beckett, it is good to see you home again. I trust your trip was pleasant?" Eduardo asked her only knowing that she had been gone for just over a week. He used his hand scanner to scan the tag on her car which was what allowed him to open the heavy gate allowing her entrance. No tag, no entrance. If you were visiting and didn't leave him word or answer his call, you didn't get in.

"It was nice but it's good to be home. Any visitors?" Kate asked to be nice knowing that she knew no one who would visit her, still it didn't hurt to ask. "No ma'am. Welcome home," Eduardo said as he pressed the button. The heavy gate opened and the metal barrier beyond it fell down allowing her entrance.

 _ **Jarboe Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri**_ _ **,**_ _ **64112**_ It was a townhouse with others a lot like hers on either side. Kate actually drove around back where the garage was located and pressed the button which cycled through various signals until one of them opened the garage door for her. If anyone was close enough to try and get her code they would get over 2 million of them and would have to guess which one worked.

It was a two car garage, however, she only had the one car. She drove in and pressed the button again to close the door. Once closed, she checked the door into her home and found it was still secure as was the tiny piece of paper in the door way down low. If the door had been opened, the paper would be missing.

The lock required her finger print as well as a code to open it, much like the locks on the other two doors that lead to the outside. The garage was on the main level. She walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass and threw the empty bottle into the trash. It didn't matter, she had another 290 bottles from all over the world in her wine cellar. She had spent just over $640,000 building it up to what it was today. Kate sipped her wine satisfied that it was still good enough to drink.

She went over to the wall and placed her palm on the picture that was on it. Behind the wall was nothing, but this action triggered a latch that allowed her to move the boards in the floor. There she had a floor safe that required her finger print and code to open. Inside she had her most favorite weapon, a Heckler Koch USP Match, modified to fire on full automatic. Kate pulled it out along with two clips, placed them on her person, and dropped her deposit slip into the safe then closed it all back up again.

Her trip had indeed been successful. All she had to do was steal a stupid painting then sell it to the buyer who had wanted it and had hired Selena Kaye to do the job. She had confirmed the funds were in her account before she even left and had printed out a receipt for herself. It put a cool $59,000,000 into an account that already had $467,000,000 in it.

Stealing then selling what she stole was only one of the jobs she would accept. She was also not above assassinating someone for money and had done so on several occasions. The problem was being an assassin just didn't pay what being a thief did.

Kate moved through her home of 4 Bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, 3 half bathrooms, and 5,350 square feet checking doors and windows as she went. Kate was careful, it was why she was still alive.

It had only cost her $1,100,000 to purchase the place. As for why Kansas City? If anyone had asked her, which no one had, it was because who would look for someone like her in Kansas City, Missouri? Plus while this place cost her $1,100,000 here, it would have easily cost her 10 or maybe 20 times that in New York City, in sections of California, or in Miami Beach.

Kate was careful! Besides she liked it there. Though she did own other real estate purchased under different names using a dummy corporation. She had a home in Figi that she planned to retire to one day.

 _A beautiful home on fertile land producing tropical paw paws, bananas, jack fruit, passion fruit, pineapple and mangoes._

 _The block and plaster custom design has a lovely indoor/outdoor flow. A spacious 4,240 sq ft (394 sq mtrs), tiled throughout with an extended outside patio area. Perfect for entertaining next to the infinity-edged pool._

 _There is a courtyard garden entrance opening onto a roomy lounge/dining room with large kitchen containing dishwasher, two ovens and a large walk-in pantry that has one double upright fridge/freezer and one smaller fridge/freezer._

 _There are three bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes, two en-suites and one outside garden shower courtyard, a two-car tiled garage (with generous storage cupboards), generator shed, and tool shed._

 _The lounge, dining room, kitchen, study, and two bedrooms have extensive water views._

 _Water is supplied by a 50,000 litre water tank of pure rain water with a back up of artesian bore water._

 _Power is mains power with a 5KVA generator back up._

The best part was it had only cost her $1,500,000. Kate kicked off her shoes and took off her clothes. She took her weapon and clips into the bathroom with her and turned on the shower. She wanted to wash her trip off of her.

Kate felt so much better as the hot water cascaded down over her body from the rainfall head shower. She tilted her head back and let the water hit her in the face. She moved her hands to her breasts and massaged them giving her nipples an occasional pinch. Soon her fingers traveled south and they searched the folds of her core. What she really wanted was for someone else to be doing this, but she wanted to go to bed not out trawling for a bed partner.

Kate screamed out her orgasm, never being one to keep quiet and not express what she was feeling. Her hand was up against the shower wall to help hold herself upright. She turned off the water as her heartbeat calmed down and reached for the towel to dry herself.

She grabbed some yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt that showed she wasn't wearing a bra, stepped into the kitchen and placed her weapon on the countertop. Opening the refrigerator, it was evident that being gone a week had done a number on its contents so she started throwing things out and putting Tupperware into the dishwasher. "Damn!" Now she had to get dressed and go shopping if she even wanted so much as a hint of breakfast.

Kate put on a bra, the same oversized t-shirt, and added a pair of skinny jeans. She took her weapon with her, her ID, a credit card, and her car keys (fob) then went out to her car to go shopping. Nature's Own Health Food Market was the closest and she had been there several times. She decided she needed almost everything so she came close to filling her cart and was not bashful to eat some of the seedless grapes that were in her cart as she prowled the store.

Just over $160 dollars later and a "Needed to do some shopping," to Eduardo and pointed to her grocery bags in the passenger seat to prove it. "Have a nice evening Ms. Beckett." Kate drove home and checked that her little piece of paper was still in place then carried her groceries into the kitchen and put everything away.

It was late so she stuck to eating some of the fruit that she came home with while sitting in the living room. She turned on the TV to watch the late network and local news before going to bed.

Come morning she went over to one of the spare bedrooms that she had turned into an exercise room and started her routine. Two hours later a tired and sweaty Kate hit the shower then went into the kitchen to eat a light breakfast.

After breakfast it was over to her latest Apple iMac 27" computer to do some searching. It was there that she found another two people who wanted her services as she checked her site that was hosted out of the country. She made it while visiting years ago.

"$300,000 to kill someone. Delete." She deleted it and then deleted the deleted file. "Next, steal a Ming vase and sell it to him." That had her doing a search for the vase in question.

 _A 500-year-old Chinese vase has sold in Hong Kong for over_ _US_ _$22_ _,000,000_ _._

 _An anonymous telephone bidder paid HK$168_ _,_ _7_ _00,000_ _(_ _US_ _$22_ _,_ _6_ _00,000_ _) for the 15th century imperial vase at the sale by Sotheby's auction house, more than double the lower pre-sale estimate of HK$80_ _,000,000_ _(_ _US_ _$10_ _,_ _7_ _00,000_ _)._

The announcement told her that first she had to figure out who had purchased it before stealing it. She decided to take the job provided the guy who wanted was willing to meet her price. Kate sent whomever her price and a date of delivery 2 months out and went back to searching the internet. She knew she had no chance of finding out who had bought it this way, but it didn't hurt to look.

She knew she was going to have to go to Sotheby's and search their records to find out who had it, which meant traveling to Hong Kong. "Hong Kong, sounds like fun." She pulled out her burner phone and made a call. "I need the jet ready for flight in 2 days for a morning flight to Hong Kong." Kate hung up secure in the knowledge that he would listen to her message and be ready when she arrived at the airport.

Kate was pretty sure she would be leaving Hong Kong with more than just that vase and that she would need some specialized equipment that she couldn't take on a commercial flight.

Another good thing she was rich. She had her own jet and a pilot to fly it.

 _ **Bombardier Global 8000**_ that had the range to fly from New York City to Hong Kong without refueling (7,900 nm) which meant they would refuel at Heathrow in London before flying on. Her plane had four sections not including the cockpit area. There was a sofa on one side that could seat four that could be converted into a bed and a single chair with a small fold away table on the other side forward. Next came a space that was dining with seating for two and a side bench. Then there was the galley with working ovens and finally the restroom. Storage was below her.

A cost of EU€63,095,778 (USD$69,500,000) didn't include pilot cost, fuel costs, insurance, or property taxes.

Kate was satisfied and decided that she would do some wine shopping while she was there. Hopefully she'd find something unique that she could only find in that locale.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate had her two bags loaded into the passenger seat of the car along with her oversized purse. She knew the way to the airport almost by heart, every turn, every little bump, and even most of those stupid pot holes. She used her pass to get out of her complex and started driving. She may know the way but today she went a different way. She couldn't become predictable and generate habits. It took her longer to get there but to her it was safer.

Kate found her pilot standing next to the stairs as she carried her two heavy bags that he helped her put into storage. "Any problems?" she asked. "We will have a little weather over Heathrow, however, we have the range to divert if necessary. Nothing to worry about. We can expect about an hour delay wherever it is we refuel," Simon told her.

"Thanks Simon. Is the galley stocked?" Kate inquired as he closed up the storage bin. "Stocked it myself, Ms. Kaye. It has all of your favorites along with a surprise or two," Simon told her. Kate smiled and shook her head. Simon was a good man, just a little too old for her. Still he was very good at his job.

They were out over the Atlantic when Kate found one of his surprises, chilled strawberries dipped in chocolate. Combined with her favorite wine and Kate was smiling widely. She ate and drank while she used her laptop to review the building she was going to be entering. Kate had done all that before she had even left home. What she wanted to do was find any flaws in her plan. An hour later she was happy with her choices and laid down on the sofa to take a nap.

It was the bounce of the wheels hitting concrete that awakened her. She got up and opened the door to the cockpit. "Where are we?" Kate asked him since it didn't look like Heathrow to her. "Frankfurt, Ms. Kaye. The holding pattern over Heathrow was too long so I diverted," Simon explained.

"Good thinking Simon. Get us refueled and back in the air unless there is something here you want?" she asked him. "No, ma'am. I was planning on doing some shopping in Hong Kong though," Simon told her. "So am I." Kate smiled thinking that only some of her shopping was going to cost her money.

Kate put together a meal while they were in the air and handed Simon his portion while he was on auto-pilot. "Thank you, Ms. Kaye." Simon actually did like working for her. She was most kind and even sent him a Christmas bonus each year.

Hong Kong International Airport was right next to the water. The terminal for private jets was quite far from the main terminal and didn't have retractable walkways. You used your own stairs and then walked inside and down the covered and air-conditioned walkway.

She grabbed a cart and put her bags on the cart with Simon's help. "Here is your hotel reservation. Text me what room you are in and I will do my best to give you 24 hours advance notice when we are leaving," Kate informed him.

"Thank you, Ms. Kaye." Simon took the papers and put them away. That was just one more reason why he liked working for her. She paid for the hotel and so long as he ate at the hotel she paid for that, too.

"Enjoy your stay Ms. Kaye," Simon told her. "You too, Simon." And Kate started pushing her bags while Simon tended to the plane. He got it refueled, inspected, and locked up after he retrieved his only bag and followed her into the terminal.

Simon pulled out his paperwork, saw where he was going, and searched for their shuttle service to take him there.

 _ **Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place.**_

 _Here in this Chinese garden-inspired space, you'll discover an infinity bath and private steam room. Sip on calming tea while you gaze out over the city, or relax with a book on our Dream Bed. You'll also receive Club Lounge access, so you can take a plunge in our rooftop swimming pool amongst other benefits._

 _Room size: 56m² (600ft²)_

 _Bed Types: 1 king bed_

 _Nespresso® coffee machine_

 _46-inch Samsung® LED TV_

 _40-inch Samsung® LED TV_

 _iHome™ Bluetooth MP3 Player_

 _USB charging station_

 _Work desk_

 _Iron and ironing board_

 _Signature Dream Bed_

 _Private steam room and Infinity Bath_

 _Oversized infinity bathtub_

 _Complimentary buffet breakfast_

 _Personalized check-in_

 _Complimentary Handy Smartphone_

 _Club Lounge Access and Privileges_

Simon dropped his bag just inside the room. He was wrong, he didn't like working for Ms. Kaye. He LOVED working for Ms. Kaye. It was too bad she was too young for him. "Stay as long as you like, ma'am." Simon pulled out his complimentary smartphone and sent her a text providing her with his room number which was on the 40th floor.

Meanwhile Kate took a taxi to _**Island Shangri-La Hong Kong**_ , checked in, and took her bags to her room. She was just a couple of blocks from Sotheby's. Her hotel and room wasn't anywhere near as nice as Simon's was. But then that wasn't the point.

It was still daylight for a number of hours so she decided to do some looking around. She had already picked out her site using Google Maps, however, it was always best to scout the place first hand. Plus she would be going there in the dark, so she needed to know where it was in relationship to the other buildings around Sotheby's.

Kate checked her equipment, packed it all back up again, then went out to eat and do some shopping. She wasn't expecting any trouble, still by traveling using her own jet meant she was actually heavily armed even if it was all concealed from prying eyes.

She was nowhere near the tourist traps and was dressed casually wearing running shoes; her money and ID were safely tucked away down the front of her jeans. It was just a touch cool out by the time she left the hotel which allowed her to conceal the smallest semi-automatic she owned. She also had an assortment of knives hidden away as well as a taser.

Kate was just walking and looking at everything even though as a caucasian, she stood out like a sore thumb in that district. However she walked with authority and kept her eyes open for everything and anything. She was about to pass a camera store when she turned back and went inside.

Some pictures wouldn't hurt so she found an Olympus with a large telephoto lens and haggled with the owner who knew very little English, Russian, or nearly any other language Kate knew. Still she was happy with the price and left the store with her first purchase.

She turned a corner and found a long alleyway filled with mom and pop places to eat. The wonderful smells drew her in while looking for something interesting. And she found it, a plate of fresh crabs. Actually they were more like mini crabs since they fit in the palm of her hand. Kate selected a canned beverage that didn't have any English on it but the picture was clear enough. She sat down at a cheap table in a cheap chair and ate her crabs while listening to the locals speak a language she didn't understand.


	2. Chapter 2

**K and K 2**

Kate already had both bags up on the roof and had left them there for later. Now she had her clothing carry-on bag, walked out the back door, down the road, and checked into the first hotel she came to.

It was a simple seen-one-seen-them-all double queen bed hotel room. It was at least clean enough for her for a few days till she got back home. Next she downloaded the pictures that she took with her new camera and started looking.

Dinner had her choosing between two evils. It wasn't that she loved those 5 star restaurants especially when they barely served enough to fill a cockroach and charged an arm and a leg for it. But she did like something more than a simple burger or hotdog. And besides when in Hong Kong eat what the locals eat. That premise got her into a taxi and back in an area no tourist would ever even think of going.

She was liking it; it was tasty but also hot and she was on her third canned drink already. Crispy fish with spicy dressing. "Sometimes I'm too stupid for my own good," Kate laughed at herself. Still she ate everything but the head, the tail, and whatever that white flowery thing was.

She started drinking water when she got to her first hotel along with an antacid which was followed by a burp. "Definitely too stupid for my own good," Kate said to herself on her way to the roof.

It was dark out, however, everything was lit up nicely. Kate checked her weapon along with all of her equipment. She made sure the cable was played out properly and checked her weapon again and made sure she had the two rounds she would be needing. She lifted it up and fired. Just as expected it hit her target with near perfection. She attached the other end and used the ratchet to tighten it as tight as she dared. Next she shouldered her bag and attached the trolley device she would be using and took a deep breath and jumped. What could go wrong?

Kate landed, let go and rolled, came up on her feet, then retrieved her trolley since she needed it again. She then played out her next line, checked her weapon, and fired at the building Sothbey's was in. It was very kind of them to have the smallest high rise in the area. Once again she fired and used her ratchet to tighten the line. She shouldered her bag and attached her trolley. Taking another deep breath she jumped, landed, and rolled on the roof of her target building.

She took off her jumpsuit, took her last large item out of her bag and laid it on the roof. She would be back later to use it. Turning off security from the roof was stupidly easy. Sending the security signal up to the roof where no one thought someone could reach for it to be sent via satellite because ground lines could be cut. Getting the door open was also easy; Kate kept to the stairs till she reached her floor. It took a little work to get the door to open. She had her laser ready and pointed it at the security camera for about a minute. Just because it wasn't going to send a signal out didn't mean it wasn't recorded somewhere on site; the laser would burn out the optics of the camera.

Kate moved in past the door and pointed her laser at the next camera. Sure she had her disguise on but she was careful. She wore colored contacts, a wig, dark lipstick, and dark circles around her eyes along with glued on pieces that made her cheeks fat and gave her a double chin along with a rhino nose.

Disabling every camera on the floor allowed her to search at her leisure. She passed office after office till she finally found the document storage room. Unsurprisingly, it was behind a locked door that required an electronic code. However she had a toy for that and after removing the keypad from the wall she attached it to the now exposed million combinations per second later and she had the door open. Now she was able to look for what she came here for. She also brought her little camera for these moments. She was actually starting to run out of storage for her camera when she finally found the person who had bought the vase.

Kate stowed her camera away and locked the drawers up, making sure everything was back the way she found it. Stepping back outside she secured the keypad back into place with a little glue.

"I wonder," she whispered to herself. Kate moved back over to the office of the manager of this office and started searching his office. RHIP was a perfect fit for this guy, his office was huge. She searched all of the unconventional locations and found his wall safe. "I wonder what he thinks is important enough to have locked it up?" Kate murmured.

She had only just got the safe open when the office door opened causing her to pull out her weapon with a silencer attached in the blink of an eye. She put three rounds in his chest and watched him fall. "SHIT! Kate had hoped to get in and out without seeing anyone.

Kate took his weapon away along with his radio and searched him. "So you're wearing a vest. Good boy." She turned him over and put a zip tie on his wrists. Then she dragged him into the manager's private restroom and dropped him on the floor in front of the toilet.

She figured she was out of time so she emptied the safe not paying close attention to what she had found. Closing her bag, she headed for the stairs and ran all the way up to the roof. It was almost like a light workout at home. She was breathing heavily but was in no way tired. Kate put her coveralls back on, pulled her last item out of the bag, and strapped it in place. That was followed by securing her bag that held the contents of the safe in place.

Kate climbed up to the edge of the roof and looked out to secure the sight of her landing area. She jumped and pulled the cord that released her parachute. It was a Wedge Softie and Micro Softie combination.

 _The Micro Softie is designed to fit and stay secure over the shoulder of smaller individuals. A wedged shaped version of the popular Mini and Micro Softies, the Wedge Softie is designed specifically to add lumbar and sacral support during high, positive G maneuvers._ Kate was tall but she was also thin.

Kate glided to her landing zone quietly in darkness with her black coveralls and black parachute. She landed softly, gathered up her chute, and then stuffed it all behind some thick bushes. She also took off her black coveralls and threw them in there with it. She then dug a small but not very deep hole, tossed her gloves in it, and pulled out a vial. Holding the vial with a tissue, she dumped its contents on the gloves which instantly started dissolving them. The outside of the gloves may not have had her fingerprints on them but the inside did, and now they wouldn't. It had a strong odor which got her moving to her second hotel room.

She encountered no trouble even though all of the streets were still busy even at 2:30 in the morning. Kate made it to her room with no problem. She stripped down and went into the shower to wash today off of her. It didn't have a waterfall head but she made do while massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples. Soon her fingers were searching the folds of her core and screamed out her orgasm as she used a hand against the shower wall to hold herself up. After she had calmed down she unwrapped the hotel bar of soap and washed.

She didn't know what she had in the bag and right now she didn't care as she climbed into her bed naked and slowly went to sleep.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

She was in a small town by the looks of it. Likely one of those Wild West recreation towns since everything was dirt and the buildings where mostly made of wood though there were a couple of stone buildings.

And what the hell was she wearing anyway? It also looked like she was with others, three men and one woman. One man was wearing something similar to what she was wearing, and it didn't hurt that he was handsome. Not muscle bound handsome, just handsome. One had a leather vest while another was wearing something just like it. The woman however was wearing some kind of metal chest plate. Kate also noticed that her breasts were much larger than her own and her breast plate even had large dimples to accommodate them.

The tall guy was white as was one of the men wearing leather. The last man had a large bow along with two ancient weapons on him, and looked Hispanic while the woman had a shield on her back and was carrying a...MACE!?

Actually all of them had backpacks. Kate felt the straps digging into her shoulders telling her she also had one. Just why she was here and where was she? Then they entered a building and someone started telling them to leave all their weapons behind.

"Not a chance in hell?" Kate told him. She was well versed in hand to hand combat, still she wanted to keep her weapons. She patted herself down. _'Wait! Just where the hell were her weapons? No gun no spare clips and no knives. That wasn't right she_ did _have something.'_ "Stinking dagger?" What the hell is going on?

Kate sat up in bed and blinked her eyes open. "What the hell was that?" She tried to remember her dream but it was fading fast. Still she was sure it was her, except why was she traveling with others? She worked alone. She lived alone. Ever since Will Sorenson had tried to rape her she had made sure she was alone. Still there was something about those four people.

Kate got out of bed to wash her face only to see a woman alone looking back at her in the mirror. She splashed still more water on her face, drying it without paying attention to the woman in the mirror. Kate went back to bed and worked at going back to sleep.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate was getting dressed. She had a date and it was their third date. She was hoping that Will would at least try to kiss her. In her eyes he was at least a little handsome. Maybe a little too square jawed for her taste, still had had been nice to her. Plus Kate wanted to find someone. Both of her parents were long since gone and she was alone. Her friends had abandoned her and her relatives had come for the funeral and then they all slithered back home when they found out they weren't getting anything. Her parents had left her everything.

It didn't hurt that her parents were successful and wealthy. Not rich per se, but they lived comfortably and wanted for nothing really. But Kate would give it all away and live in a shanty town if she could just have her parents back.

She snapped out of her funk when the doorbell sounded and Kate smiled that it would be Will taking her out on a date. Besides he was an FBI agent so to her way of thinking he was safe and dependable. The FBI didn't hire serial killers surely. She took a peek in her spy window and smiled when she saw Will's face and unlocked and opened the door. "Hi Will." Kate greeted him. "Hi, these are for you." He pulled the flowers out from behind his back and held them out.

"How thoughtful." She liked the idea if maybe not his choice of flowers. "Let me put these in something and we can go," Kate told him then turned her back and entered her kitchen to find a vase.

"Take your time," Will said and closed the door. What she didn't see was him locking it. "We won't be late?" Kate was sure they had reservations. He had told her that he would make them. "No, we won't be late." Will took off his sport coat as he entered which exposed his shoulder holster with his weapon that he still had on him.

Kate felt Will step up behind her and wrap his arms around her and nuzzle his face into her neck and kiss it softly. "Will don't." She shook him off her. However he was back almost immediately and was a little more insistent. "Will stop. I want to go eat." Kate tried to shake him off her. "I have what I want to eat." He went back to working on her neck.

Even to this day Kate wasn't really sure what happened after that. When she came back to herself she was standing just outside of her kitchen with Will lying on the floor with a small pool of blood. She brought her hands up to her face which was when she found a gun in her hand. Will's gun she would later discover. "OH GOD, OH GOD" Kate dropped the weapon on the kitchen counter and sat down in a dining room chair that was close.

"I killed him. I actually killed him!" She was shaking and coming apart at the seams. Kate still didn't know what got her to run for her bathroom, but what she saw in the mirror shocked her. Her dress was torn, telling her that there must have been a fight. Her face had scratches as did her arms. Her lip was split and it looked like she had been hit in the eye as well. She took off her damaged dress, one of her favorites, and turned on the shower.

It was close to an hour later; she was out of the bathroom and dressed casually in sweats. Still she had to go back out into the kitchen and decide what to do with Will. She didn't know if it was an accident or had she shot him intentionally. Seeing him lying in a pool of blood again had her running for the bathroom to empty her stomach into the toilet.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate sat up in her bed in the hotel room and could feel the tears rolling down her face. Her life had changed that day. She had gotten rid of the body in a place far outside of town. Apparently Will had never spoken of her to anyone at work since no one ever came to talk to her.

It had been the crux for everything she had done following that day. "Why the hell am I remembering that day now?" Kate said to herself. She could feel the hollowness that was in her heart. No friends, no co-workers, no relatives. Well, technically she had them but she never heard from them since the death of her parents.

Kate drew her legs up into her chest and held them there. Her grief over the life that she could have had was taking over and she started sobbing for what could have been. However it didn't last long. She wouldn't let it rule her life. She had a life. She had a nice home, nice car, a jet, two other real estate purchases, and she was rich. She considered having hundreds of millions of dollars as being rich.

Kate slammed the mental door closed and locked it and wiped the tears away. Today's Kate was back in control. Noticing that it was almost 7:00 am she got out of bed and back into the shower.

After getting dressed she collected her weapons, used her phone to check the weather then put on a coat and grabbed her mini umbrella since it was raining quite heavily. "Maybe that means fewer people out and about," she told herself. She went down to the lobby and took a taxi back into the local's area.

Kate ended up at Ginsberg and Chan, F, Hong Kong, 603, Loke Yew Building, 50-52 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

 _ **Sine Qua Non Stockholm Syndrome Eleven Confessions 2010**_ _– case of 3 at_ _價格_ _HKD_ _63,000 total (_ _US_ _$8,108.40)_

It left her with 3 empty slots in her carrier that he provided her with.

 _ **Group Duclot Assortment Case 2008**_ – case of 3 at 價格 HKD$60,000 total (US$7,722.70)

It wasn't really what she was hoping for but she liked her purchases. Three at 6 years old and three at 8 years old. It left her wanting more so she was back in a taxi headed for the next store.

 _ **Portrait, G/F**_.

Kate found a few bottles of the Farm Girl Rosé, it actually had a pink color. Next she found a few bottles of the Aviator. It was a red with a hint of Bordeaux. She left with three of each and went back to her hotel. Completely happy with her purchases, she pulled out her case and very tenderly placed them inside.

She called Simon and told him they would be leaving in the morning the day after tomorrow. "I'll be ready ma'am. Not a problem," Simon assured her.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate toured the area for a day and played tourist, even if she was a heavily armed tourist. She saw lots of the junk that the tourists snapped up thinking they had gotten a bargain. Unfortunately they didn't know any better. Most probably they would find out just how much they were taken for after they got home.

Kate fingered any number of items however she bought nothing.

She met Simon at the plane and helped him load her luggage. "It holds bottles of wine," Serene answered the look on his face. "Well, in that case." Simon left her and opened another cargo door. He pulled out a long case and opened it for her. Inside it was shaped to hold wine bottles and had space for 12 so long as 6 of them were upside down.

"SIMON!? When did you get this?" Sirene hadn't had her heart feel like this in a very long time. "I picked it up after out last trip. You brought home an entire wood case of wine and I thought this would be more secure and safe," he explained. "I'll pay you back Simon and thank you." Then she helped him load it with her wine purchases.

"Did you find anything?" Sirene asked him as she watched him load the case into the cargo hold. "I did actually. I went to Punjab House in Golden Crown Court," Simon explained and got ready to explain what that was.

"You bought a suit! What kind?" Sirene actually was interested. "A double breasted using Italian fabric and also the latest in laptop computers," Simon explained.

"I approve Simon, very much. You'll have to show me your suit after we land. I'm sure you'll look very handsome. You'll have women pawing you in no time." Sirene wasn't interested in him that way. While he wasn't the most handsome of men, he was nice enough and he had a good heart.

"Actually I do know someone that I've been thinking of asking out," Simon admitted. "Simon! You dog. I'm sure she is perfect for you. If however she hurts you just let me know and I'll box her ears for you. And if she doesn't like you in your suit, there's something wrong with her." Sirene patted his arm and decided to risk it and kissed his cheek then walked up the ladder.

Sirene sat down and watched Simon go into the cockpit and questioned herself why she had done that. She didn't get that personal or affectionate with anyone. "It must be the Hong Kong air. I'll feel better once I get home," she told herself. She didn't give her acting with kindness and love a second thought. Today was never going to be repeated.

She downloaded her pictures while they flew home. "Now just where does this guy live?" She pulled up who had this vase. "You have to be shitting me!" She got up and opened the cockpit door. "Turn around and go back Simon. It looks like we will be staying in Hong Kong for another few days. There's someone I have to meet," she informed him and listened to Simon tell the tower he needed to return and no, he wasn't declaring an emergency.

She didn't have enough clothes for this or the equipment. However that had never stopped her before. She was sure she could find anything she needed in Hong Kong. She had to pull out her phone and make hotel reservations. Kate got Simon his old room back, or at least a room just like it in the same hotel. She selected _**The**_ _ **Landmark Mandarin Hotel Hong Kong**_ _, L900 Landmark Suite. King bed, 900 square feet at_ _價格_ _HKD_ _13,800 (_ _US_ _$1,776.22) per night._ Kate dropped her bags and called for laundry service, hoping that Simon was doing the same. She soon got a text telling her what room Simon was in. She did however hope that their staying didn't put a kink in any plans Simon had with his mysterious woman.

"And since when did I care?" Sirene shook her head. Just where did these thoughts come from? She needed to get this damn vase and get out of this city.


	3. Chapter 3

**K and K 3**

Kate found his home online in no time. She even found an old real estate ad that had pictures as well as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the overall size in square feet. The home was in Mount Beacon which would prove to be a problem but at least it was a house instead of a penthouse in a high rise. Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, 4,350 square feet that he bought for just a little over $36,000,000.

Four bedrooms told her there was probably one or more children in the house. And with children there was likely a dog. She wasn't sure if she wanted it to be a Rottweiler that she could just shoot or a nice, safe Pomeranian. The problem was the little shit probably would bark its head off at her till she put it out of their collective misery.

Maybe she wouldn't need that much in the way of supplies after all. She needed to see it though, so she grabbed her brand new camera, chose an address that was close by, and hailed a taxi.

It was constructed of man-made stone with floor to ceiling windows. The yard was immaculate with just a few mature trees. Even from a distance she could tell it was not a house to be lived in; it was a house to be proud of, a place to be lorded over friends' heads. He was probably actually shallow and likely had a trophy wife whom he didn't have a clue how to satisfy.

"Not like that tall, thin man who also happens to be all too handsome," Kate said to herself smiling then suddenly clamping her mouth closed. "I've _got_ to get out of this damn city!" Her thoughts were not like herself. She didn't get infatuated with men, especially ones that were just a dream. She could still see his smile and it was mesmerizing.

Kate went back to taking pictures and watching patiently. It finally had gotten dark and lights came on inside, yet no one had come or gone. "It's a work day. Does he work from home? Who goes to get groceries or do they have them delivered using his money?" She stayed until it was quite late and had to stretch to work out the kinks. Still no one came outside. So if that was the case, either there wasn't a dog or they let it poop and pee inside?

She knew she wasn't going to hit the house tonight so she finally started walking down the road until she got far enough away then called for a taxi to take her back to her hotel room. Kate couldn't sleep. She wanted to get this over with and get out of this town so she downloaded her pictures and began studying them. She needed to be able to get in without anyone noticing and she needed to see the electrical entrance. Places like that usually had alarm systems.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate woke up in the morning with her head on the desk and her computer on, her pictures still looping through on a slide show. "I need out of this town alright." She stood up and stretched, feeling bones in her back snap and her neck scream at her. She had slept too long in that position. She picked up the phone to make a spa appointment for that afternoon. Then she stripped and stepped into the shower. Having hot water pound on her body helped and gave her high hopes for that spa treatment.

Looking outside she saw it was raining cats and dogs and she all but collapsed. Even if it did stop soon the grounds were still going to be a mess. It meant she would leave a trail so she needed another plan.

Kate decided to search her pictures that she had taken earlier and wondered if there was something else in this godforsaken town that would be easier to get to. It turned out there were a number of things that had been bought by affluent people who lived in Hong Kong, however, all but one lived in penthouses at the top of high-rise buildings. A penthouse meant she needed a different plan and a different set of tools, tools she hadn't brought with her.

She shut everything down and went downstairs to see where she could spend some time without getting drowned by going outside. Kate soon found the exercise room and lap pool, which had her back upstairs just as the maid service was starting to enter. "Give me 10 minutes and it's yours," she told her and stepped inside to change into workout clothes. She gathered up her bikini, a couple of towels, and went back downstairs.

Kate had only been working out for an hour and planned on being there for another two when a man approached her. She had to admit he was trying and she was doing her best to get him to go away nicely. That was until he placed a hand on her arm to enforce his point. She enforced _her_ point by breaking said arm followed by breaking his nose. "Now look what you've done!" Kate was pissed at him and herself. Where the hell was her self-control? Skill she still had, just normally she would get rid of him in a less physical way.

An hour later, hotel security and the Hong Kong police were done with her thanks to the security coverage in the hotel. Giving up, she gathered up her towels and swim suit and was back in her room ordering room service, watching it rain. She also got her clean clothes back finally so she had something to wear tomorrow.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

In the end Kate and Simon ended up staying for just over a week while she waited for the rain to stop and the ground to dry out at least a little.

Finally she took a different taxi out near the location. She exited the taxi and started walking the wrong way till she was sure that the taxi was long gone. Since it was already dark out that wasn't hard.

Kate found almost all of the lights in the house were on just like last time. "He's not just rich, he's wastefully rich," she murmured to herself and shook her head. She found the electrical connection easily enough and severed it, pleased that all of the lights blinked out. A couple of quick shots from her silenced weapon into the transformer made sure of it. Cutting the phone lines was next. He probably still had a cell phone but she couldn't do anything about that.

She waited and watched and saw some of the lights come back on along with the hum of an emergency generator. It was perfect. Kate was inside the home in no time and started searching it room by room. In a large downstairs kitchen she found almost all of the staff putting a meal together. Four quick shots and they were dead on the kitchen floor. Kate had already passed up a set of stairs leading to the second floor, so she backtracked and went up them.

At the top, just around the corner, it appeared that one of his sons was looking for something on the floor. Kate quickly put a round in him and walked past him without a second thought. It wasn't her normal method of going through someone's home but she was tired of this city and wanted desperately to be gone. Even worse her dreams each night had her feeling emotions: love and compassion. And it seemed to always be in the presence of those other four people. She didn't realize it but she was fighting against her dream by being cruel and killing willfully. She honestly didn't know what to do with those emotions.

Kate stepped into a sitting parlor off the master bedroom and saw the vase in question sitting on top of a display curio with a painting above it. She was just starting to reach for it when she heard a scream. She raced into the bedroom where she found the trophy wife whom she promptly shot. That was followed by the man himself entering the bedroom with a cell phone in his hand. Kate quickly shot him and crushed the phone.

Picking up the vase, she gently put it in the bag she had brought, placed the bag in her backpack, and quickly left the house. What she really wished was that she could have searched the house while no one was home. She was betting that he had a safe somewhere that most likely had something interesting inside it.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

She called Simon from her room using her burner phone and arranged for them to leave the next morning. She was only too glad to leave Hong Kong. Plus, unlike last time, she was silent and did not engage Simon who was nice to her as usual.

It was a long flight so she laid down on the sofa and slept. Hours later Kate suddenly sat up, breathing heavily as she gulped in air. She had just watched everyone in that house die again, only this time she had done it up close and personal using a dagger.

She saw the look on each of their faces as they died.

Kate sat there for a time with her face in her hands. Then she got up and went into the restroom to wash up. When she looked into the mirror it wasn't her face that she saw staring back at her. It actually scared the crap out of her as mechanically she picked up something and smashed the mirror. The trip home wasn't what she had been hoping for. The entire trip was turning out to be a nightmare.

Simon helped her get her luggage out of the cargo bay and onto a cart for her. "I trust you enjoyed your trip, ma'am," Simon offered, unaware of what she had done on the trip. "Thanks Simon. I probably won't need you for a week or maybe two. Enjoy your down time." Kate started pushing the luggage cart. "Thank you, ma'am, I will." He had plans and hoped his lady friend hadn't already moved on.

She had no trouble putting everything in the passenger seat of her car for the drive home. Once again she met Eduardo at the gate. "Welcome home," he greeted her as he scanned her tag then pressed the button allowing her in the complex. She parked in her garage and unloaded her car after checking the doors and windows first. After that everything went up into her bedroom. She unpacked the vase, moved it to another room, and took a picture of it to send to her buyer. His response was almost immediate and gave her directions as to where to send it. It didn't surprise Kate that it was a post office box. What _was_ a surprise was that the vase was going right back to Hong Kong! "What are the odds?" she laughed. "Damn city." Kate vowed to never go back there ever again.

She pulled a nondescript box out of her garage, packed it with great care then put that box inside yet another box wrapped with bubble wrap in-between.

Just over a week later Kate was $22,000,000 richer.

Her big problem was also during that same time she had a nightmare every night. Each night was a variation on the one she had in Hong Kong that involved the family she'd killed to get the stupid vase.

Even more unsettling was that she was having sex with the handsome man in her dreams. She still didn't know who he was, not his name nor where he lived. He was handsome and really knew how to kiss. And not just kiss but caress and worship every square inch of her body. He did things that Kate hadn't thought was even possible. She felt worn out each time she woke up except that she was horny as hell. Yet again this morning she had her fingers buried in the folds of her core as she screamed during still another orgasm.

Then Kate reached over and pulled out her latest purchase out of her nightstand drawer. Her dreams were driving her mad and if she was going to have to touch herself to get any satisfaction she might as well use more than just her fingers. It had taken a little searching until she found a dildo that closely resembled the penis she had had in her mouth till he climaxed. She followed that by impaling herself on him and bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth until she screamed during another orgasm.

Kate put her new toy to use and just as she was climaxing yet again, she could just feel his name on the tip of her tongue. Still no name came out, but she felt like she knew what it was.

However, between the nightmares and all of the sex that she was and wasn't having, she was slowly losing her mind. She finally reached for the phone. "Simon, please ready the plane for a flight out in the morning the day after tomorrow, I'm headed for my home in Canada." Maybe a change of scenery would help. It certainly couldn't hurt, could it?

She packed her heavy winter clothes and footwear along with a lot of weapons and the bag of goodies that she had gotten out of Sotheby's safe that she still hadn't looked at yet. Simon flew her to a city which had an airport large enough for him to land where he helped her load her cargo into a van that would take her to her next mode of travel. "I won't need you again until it stops snowing," she informed him which was going to be at least another 4 months.

"Are you sure about this, ma'am?" Simon cared for her even if they didn't have that kind of relationship. He had flown her here before but never to stay the entire winter. "I'll be fine Simon, thank you for your concern." Serena was touched by his solicitude which was another reason to get away from it all. Her life was extremely odd of late.

"Enjoy your stay then, ma'am." And Simon watched her being driven away. It meant he wouldn't be flying her anywhere for months which would allow him time with the new woman in his life.

Kate's driver took her to the lake coast where the next leg of her journey was awaiting her. "I need to go grocery shopping before we leave," she told him and had him take her to the closest grocery store. Two hours later she was finally done. Her driver who was also her pilot loaded all of her groceries and her luggage into the cargo hold of his seaplane. As far as seaplanes went, it was a larger one with twin props and could seat with twelve with cargo. Kate was traveling alone and her cargo filled up the plane nicely.

They flew out of Lake Huron and into the Georgian Bay that was part of Ontario, Canada. It was there that she had a lakeside cabin on the bay that was only accessible by seaplane. There were no roads and no boat though there was a dock that the plane was tied to after the long flight.

As agreed, he unloaded her cargo and left it on the dock for her to shift to the cabin. "See you in four months, ma'am. I surely hope you know what you're doing," he told her since there was already a light dusting of snow on the ground and it was a little cold though not frigid yet. And once the lake froze he wouldn't be able to fly in if there was an emergency.

Her home was a 2,100 square foot cabin that had an aluminum double pane glass system with gas in-between window system and cedar shingles with a roof filled with solar power and solar hot water panels. Waste was handled on site using a drain field. Fresh water was taken from the lake and cycled through filters and a UV-light system. It didn't have an A/C system though it did have a very good heating system. It was two stories and the walls on both floors that faced the lake were entirely windows. The cabin was long and maybe a little narrow. There was a small deck out back looking out over the lake. There was another deck at one end of the house that had two sofas with a coffee table made of wood between them and a stone fireplace at the end with a pergola above it all.

The floor of the large kitchen and the living room that was at the end with the second deck leading off of it was cork. A wood ceiling with exposed wood beams was on the first floor and all three bedrooms on the second floor. The kitchen countertop was butcher block and above the countertop were open shelves on the back wall where she stored her dining ware. The large pantry was on one end with an upright freezer next to it and a large refrigerator next to that. Nearby was the farmhouse sink. The range top and oven were located in the island that also had a breakfast bar along one side which could seat four.

It took Kate some time to transfer everything from the dock into the house but she was in good shape so it really wasn't a problem. Her first trip allowed her to turn on all the systems, start recharging her battery back-up, and turn on the refrigerator and freezer. After that she stripped her bed then threw the sheets into the washer while she put together something to eat. It turned out to be her first and only meal of the day.

The dining room had reclaimed wood floors, a handcrafted wooden table and benches and was located on the other side of the kitchen on the first floor. The dining room had a unique handmade wrought iron chandelier and the kitchen had hand blown industrial, pendant lights hanging over the island. The living room had a sectional sofa and a rustic, floor to ceiling wood burning stone fireplace with still more hand blown industrial lights scattered around the room.

The house didn't have satellite TV service or cell phone coverage though there was a decent selection of movies and television shows on DVD. Kate happened to be a huge closet fan of Piers Anthony and his Xanth series of books. Fantasy with real magic had always been one of her favorite things. Knowing that real magic wasn't possible was just one more thing to like about his work. She had even brought out his latest book that she hadn't read yet. _Eserever Doom_. There was also a modest library in the living room that had his entire collection in addition to several others like Harry Turtledove and all of his alternate history works. It also included Isaac Asimov and his Foundation series. All Kate had was her satellite phone that needed to be charged at the moment.

Outside of the dining room and kitchen on the deck was a propane grill along with some chairs and a fire pit. There was a set of stairs leading off the deck down to the lake's rocky coast where there were still more chairs bolted down with yet another fire pit.

Once the sheets were clean and on the bed she went to get some sleep, desperately hoping she wouldn't have another nightmare or dream about the handsome man whom she was finding out had eyes that she could swim in all day. Both of these things needed to stop so she could get her life back on track.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate had been there a week and it was taking a lot of her self-control to not cry even during the day. Killing those people was still haunting her and yet each night she was soothed by her mysterious man and his friends. She felt like she knew their names but just couldn't voice them.

She had killed people before, why were these any different? She had killed when she was caught stealing and she had killed for money, but had never been affected like this previously. And why was she focused on this one man? What was especially troubling was that she was starting to care about what she had done and who he was.

She decided she needed a distraction after switching the laundry loads. It had started snowing heavily last night meaning there would likely be several feet if it kept it up. That alone wasn't a problem since she had a quad and a snowmobile in her little garage. She didn't need a big garage since getting a car here was difficult though it had been done during her home's construction. But that road/trail was long since gone.

She didn't even have a neighbor for miles. It had been her decision though, since her home sat on hundreds of acres that was all hers. She didn't even know how far away the closest town was, just that it wasn't close. She could have gotten a boat except that her dock didn't have deep enough water. It could accommodate the floats of the seaplane, but it would need to be dredged to be deep enough for a good-sized boat.

Her distraction was picking up her bag that held the contents of the stuff she had gotten out of that safe in Sotheby's in Hong Kong. Kate pulled each item out one at a time and looked it over then placed it on her dining room table turned work table. She sat back and looked at everything she had pulled out and went over everything one by one.

"What the heck is this thing?" Kate picked it up out of the case knowing full well that it was a hand gun, but it was like no other she'd ever seen. It had a huge revolving chamber that held 20 rounds. It had two barrels, one over the other. There was the standard trigger with a trigger guard, however, the hammer had two strikers. That was when she noticed that the outer wheel of rounds had an inner wheel of rounds. There were even spare rounds attached to a slide. There was only the one so not enough to even completely load the weapon.

Next she picked up papers that appeared to be a deed to a building in Italy. If it was authentic it meant she had ownership of something in a town in Italy she had never heard of. Since she didn't have access to the internet where she was, she would have to wait to find out exactly what it was. Still the document looked really, really old and was in fragile condition. Thankfully it was encased in an archival case to prevent further deterioration.

Kate picked up a small drawstring bag and emptied its contents onto the table. "Interesting," she commented. She picked one of the items up and studied it. It looked like a rare coin in a coin case sealing it off from the outside world. A certificate told her what they were: $10 Indian Eagle gold coins from 1907 worth $11,335 each. Now she had 11 of them.

She had spread everything out on her table nice and neat and picked up the final item. As she looked at it, a sunbeam hit it and blinded her for a moment. When her vision cleared she realized she wasn't at the table any longer; she was out on a dirt road and she _wasn't_ alone.

There were three other people with her. One Caucasian male wearing leather and sandals, while a Hispanic male who was just a little shorter than the white man, also dressed in leather but wearing leather boots, had a composite longbow in his hand, a quiver full of arrows attached to his belt, and two swords in scabbards crossed and strapped to his back. Finally there was a Hispanic female wearing plate armor on her chest made especially for her large breasts. Strapped to her arm was a round shield that had a design on it, though Kate didn't care what it was at the moment. Plus she had a really large looking mace at her belt. Each of them also had a small backpack on their backs.

She herself was walking next to a tall white male who was also dressed casually and when he turned to look at her all she saw was his blue eyes. She didn't understand why but she was drowning in them and they were making her legs weak.

Kate looked down at herself and saw she was dressed in dried leaves which were very colorful, much unlike the others who had almost no color. She too, was wearing sandals that looked well used. "Hurry up Katherine or we'll be late. It's only another mile or two," the Hispanic male urged her and turned back to walking.

 **"WHAT THE HELL!?"**


	4. Chapter 4

**K and K 4**

Katherine had very little and owned very little. Everything had been destroyed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. She had kept her hand clamped over her mouth as she watched her entire community being massacred, including her parents. As soon as the hideous monsters left, she crawled from one shell of a home to another and found very little. What was worse, she found no bodies. They had killed everyone, she was sure of it. Then they carried off the dead bodies and did she-didn't-know-what with them.

There had been two different kinds of monsters that had attacked. The first looked like a primitive human with gray skin and coarse hair. It had a stooped posture, low forehead, and a pig-like face with prominent lower canines that resembled a boar's tusks.

The second looked like a bipedal creature that was about 1-1/2 times as tall as a human but very thin. It had long ungainly arms and legs. Its legs ended in great three-toed feet, the arms in wide, powerful hands with sharpened claws. Its greenish hide appeared rubbery; its hair was thick and ropy and seemed to writhe with its own energy.

They were both ugly!

She had gathered up all of the food and water she could carry. They had had animals like horses, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals. All of those had been taken too, so she had no other choice but to walk. There was only one place to walk to, only one person who could help her. She just had to get there. She decided to stay off the main roads. She knew where she was going, mostly. Just not by taking this route. Still Katherine felt pretty good about herself. Her grandmother had been teaching her and although their attackers had taken almost everything, they had missed a few items that had belonged to her parents.

First she took stock of all that was left to her. First was her backpack which had been Gran's. It was magical and was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. It allowed her to carry a great many supplies without having to worry about the size and weight.

Second was Gran's armor. It was a set of nonmetallic magical armor made out of a riot of red, yellow, and orange leaves sewn together by the Goddess Ehlonna and presented as a gift to another god, Obad-Hai. Katherine worshiped the god Obad-Hai so she could wear the armor and gain the benefit of that. However she wasn't powerful enough to use the magic powers that were hidden within it. Her grandmother had told her about them so she knew what to expect. She just had to become stronger before she could use them.

Third and last was her weapon which had also been Gran's. It was a Sylvan's Scimitar and it was also magical. When used outdoors in a temperate climate it granted extra powers. It was capable of granting her an extra attack swing but only if she had dropped the attacker with which she was presently engaged in battle.

Gran had taught her beloved granddaughter all she knew and had done the best she could while she was sick. Still the sickness finally took her gran; she had cried for hours and had mourned her loss for weeks. Katherine's lessons were spotty at best, based on how Gran had felt that day. She only knew low level spells, still she knew that as she became more proficient her god would grant her new spells.

Her grandmother had given her hints about what she would be capable of doing as she grew stronger. Katherine had waited until she was alone on her travel to her only friend she had outside of her little community. She just hoped she would be home. During this walk she felt so alone and very exposed so she called for her animal companion. She had learned from Gran that this animal would be a loyal and faithful companion and would defend her to the best of its ability. She was a bit limited in what she could call based on where she was and her level of strength.

Her ability to call to him or her was part magical, part her teachings and her ability. It wasn't so much that her companion would just suddenly appear and yet it also wouldn't have to travel for miles to reach her. Katherine had debated her choice. It was between a dog, a horse, or a wolf. She could really use a horse about now, however she worried about what would happen later. That left a dog or a wolf. One was simply a little more wild than the other.

She made her choice and felt its presence as it entered her campsite a little tentatively. Katherine, however, had always had an affinity with animals and easily coaxed the wolf into her campsite and within arm's length. She allowed him to get a good smell of her and softly petted him as he laid down next to her, already alert to their surroundings. "You're going to need a name. Mine is Katherine. How about Maxwell?" She looked down and felt her new friend shudder softly. "Alright, how about Trevor?" she said, trying again only to get the same reaction.

Katherine tried to think about it. What did he look like? What did she feel was a good name for him instead of repeating names she had heard before. "How about Dapper? Your colors are very dapper looking," she said, defending her choice since his colors were a mix of beige, grey, and black. Dapper looked up at her before settling down while his eyes watched everything. "Dapper it is then," she said and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "I hope you're good at hunting since I only have people food. Though I do have a few skills." She got up and set up three small handmade traps like her grandmother had taught her.

She was forced to sleep out in the open though she did have the comfort of a simple sleeping bag to sleep in. "Good night Dapper." Katherine scratched his ears and slipped into her bag.

Come morning she worked on getting her fire started again and watched as Dapper walked into their campsite carrying a dead animal that he dropped at her feet. "Thanks Dapper but I have food. This one is yours," she told him and watched him leave only to come back moments later with a different dead animal.

"Alright, I can take a hint." She pulled out a small knife, butchered both of them then spitted one of them above the fire. Raising the spit up higher so her breakfast wouldn't burn, Katherine went out looking for something else to eat. She was soon back with weeds that she could eat along with a few berries. Together it made for a nice change from what she had been eating.

She reviewed the spells she had memorized and decided to keep them and not make a change:

 _Entan_ _g_ _le_ – Plants entangled everyone in a 40 foot radius of the point selected.

 _Speak with Animals_ – Talk with animals that had enough intelligence to reply.

 _Longstrider_ – Increased her running speed by half again as much as she could already run flat out.

Katherine killed her campfire and did her best to make it look like she had never been there then set out for her friend's home that was still days away. She had been traveling for a few hours and had skipped lunch. She saw where her trail was taking her and decided to go up hill instead, hoping that it was a short cut that would keep her out of the bottom of a valley.

Dapper seemed to catch on quickly and was several yards out in front. He had already reached the top when she saw him hunker down and growl softly. Warned that something was wrong, she came up behind him actually crawling on her hands and knees until just before she reached him. By then she was down on the ground belly crawling quickly and quietly.

She was tempted to ask him what he had found when she thought better of it. What if what he had found had his sharp hearing? She crept up next to him and looked over the edge. What she saw immediately frightened her, but her blood began to boil at the sight of the monstrous creatures.

There were six of them and they all looked like walking pigs. They were the same creatures that had killed her family. Katherine didn't hear it or realize that she did it, but she growled in hatred. However it gave Dapper a bit of warning as to what was about to happen.

Four of them were out in front walking side by side while the other two were sharing the load of pulling a cart that looked to be full of things and weighed a lot. They were on the same trail as she was and were coming straight at her. If she had stayed on that trail she would have walked right into them. Katherine waited and watched as the two pulling the cart grumbled in a language she didn't understand. Their obvious complaining had gotten the other four to go back to those two. Now all six of them looked to be arguing with each other. This argument involved slaps and a couple of full on face punches. They were all armed but none of them pulled a weapon. Still they were all bunched up and it gave her an idea.

She worked out her plan in her head and decided to go for it based on how well her first spell went. "Get ready Dapper," Katherine whispered to him. Hopefully this would work long enough. She stood up and cast her spell. That was her first big risk. Standing up would expose her and if it didn't work she would have a problem. _Entangle_ was first and she watched as the vines and grasses in the area quickly grew out and started to wrap all around them since they were all within a 40 foot radius of her target point.

Soon all six of them were struggling against the spell as they complained about the sudden turn of events. "Let's go Dapper." She jumped over the side and literally slid down the hill on her feet taking only a few steps. Katherine aimed for the back of the cart they had been pulling. Her coming down the hill had gotten their attention though they continued to struggle against her spell. She hit the back of the cart and started searching it, pulling stuff out and throwing out what she wasn't interested in. She knew she had to hurry, she didn't have long before the spell wore off or if one of them would get lucky and break his way out of being held.

A small ornate box went into her backpack; she found 2 bolts of really soft cloth of a type she had never seen before and she stuffed them into her backpack. Next she came across a bandolier that had slots to hold things. Three of them held little glass vials. She stuffed that into her backpack as well. Katherine had just thrown the next thing away when her wolf started growling. She grabbed the next item, shoved it into her backpack, and then put her backpack back on.

"Let's go Dapper." She cast her next spell. _Longstrider!_ She took off running faster than she was normally capable of with Dapper running past her slowly to get out in front. Katherine ran for all she was worth down the trail until her spell ran out 2 hours later. She felt when her spell ran out as she slowed to a stop and bent over sucking in air, willing her heart to calm down. She felt she was far enough away from the pig creatures to take stock of what she'd taken from them.

Ornate box worth 75 gold pieces that had 44 silver pieces inside it.

2 bolts of cloth worth 445 gold pieces each.

Potion #1 – _Endure Elements_

Potion #2 – _Cure Moderate Wounds_

Potion #3 – _Spider Climb_

The final item she pulled out turned out to be a small bag that held a ring. The ring bestowed _Chameleon Power_ that would allow her an excellent chance of blending into her surroundings after speaking a command word.

Each potion had a note wrapped around it and the ring had the command word inscribed into the inside of it in a language that Katherine knew well. It was Sylvan; her grandmother had taught it to her. She decided to wear the bandolier with the potions and put her two _Cure Light Wounds_ potions into the empty spaces leaving her one empty space. She slipped the ring on her finger.

Katherine had finished looking over what she had gotten from them and started walking again. They were never going to catch up to her she was sure. However now she was down to just one spell, _Speak with Animals_.

She got back off her trail and out into the trees as she and Dapper continued to walk in the general direction of the home of her friend. Dark was drawing nigh and she started looking for a good spot for a campsite.

Katherine knew she still had her lesser spells that didn't have the power of her other spells: _Create_ _W_ _ater_ , _Purify_ _F_ _ood and_ _D_ _rink_ , _Flare_ , and _Know_ _D_ _irection_. She decided to cast _Know_ _D_ _irection_ so that she would know she was headed the right way. Then she planned on going out to set another three small traps.

She drank about two thirds of her water before giving the rest of it to Dapper. Then she cast _Create_ _W_ _ater_ to refill her two water skins. She pulled out her food and ate hoping to give Dapper something in the morning.

Katherine was resting on her sleeping bag looking up into the night sky and listening to the sounds of the forest. It was soothing and calming and she felt safe finally with Dapper resting next to her, not complaining about his stomach growling. She heard a "who, who, who-who" and looked around till she saw him. She decided to cast what would be her next to last spell, _Speak with Animals_.

"I have traps set and if I gain more than one animal I will give it to you if you will answer some questions and perhaps do me a small favor," she bargained with the owl. "If it is large enough, I agree to the favor at dawn," the owl replied. "Are we alone out here? Are there any dangerous creatures or men nearby?" Katherine asked. "Not alone, men close by," the owl answered. "SHIT!" She got up and put out her fire that would act like a beacon. "Where and how far?" she asked him. "East at the forest edge, many fires," the owl informed her. "Take me to them in the morning, please?" she asked the owl for her favor.

That was the problem with talking with animals, they didn't think of distances in the same way humans did. An hour to her could be just minutes to the owl. The forest edge could be an hour's walk for her or just minutes flying for the owl.

"Thank you." Katherine was going to have a cold campsite tonight it would appear. Her spells would be renewed in the morning after she prayed to her god for an hour, something she really needed to do now.

 _Entangle_

 _Longstrider_

 _Entangle (each spell counts as one so if you want two of one spell you memorize it twice)_

It was morning when she found her god had granted her another spell: _Bear's Endurance_. It meant she would be able to run and do things for twice as long without tiring. Katherine was smiling widely since according to what Gran had told her, she was growing in strength. She wondered what would be next.

Katherine had found two animals in her three traps and a deal was a deal. She handed over a possum to Dapper and the other possum to the owl while she ate from her backpack. As part of the deal her owl friend took her to the edge of the woods. What she saw made her blood run cold.

The monsters had broken camp and were slowly making their way her general direction as they traveled down the valley. It was a large band of pig face men and those very tall green-skinned things that had destroyed her village and killed her family. She watched for a little while until she was sure of it. "They're headed right for my friend's town. They'll kill everyone!" Panic set in over what she feared was about to happen.

She knew she couldn't stop them. Hell, she was afraid of fighting those 6 pig faced things she had encountered earlier. That was why she elected to only temporarily bind them and steal from them, which had worked out perfectly.

Katherine thought over the spells that she had and the items she had on her. She made her choice and cast two spells. First was _Bear's Endurance_ followed by _Longstrider_. "We need to warn my friend and her town." She looked down at Dapper. "Let's go!" And she took off running for all she was worth. She sped along as fast as she could for the next three hours and found that both spells lasted an equal amount of time. After that she just ran at her normal speed until she tired, stopping only to drink water and giving Dapper some as well. They both skipped lunch and went back to jogging until nightfall.

As she had done previously she set her traps and cast her _C_ _reate_ _W_ _ater_ spell after emptying her water skins. Once again she had a cold campsite. "You can go hunting if you want Dapper. Just be back here when the sun comes up," Katherine told him and watched him trot off to do just that. She ate from her backpack again while hoping for something in her traps for breakfast. She didn't know when Dapper came back that night or if he had waited until morning, but he was right next to her when she woke up.

They were still days away from her friend's town and she needed to pray for her spells again. This time she put an added emphasis on her prayers. She had to warn her friend and the town that danger and devastation were coming their way. She doubled her _Longstrider while adding_ _Bear's Endurance_ spells so she could run faster for longer and get there well ahead of what she had seen coming. Katherine was pleasantly surprised about how much ground she was covering each day which allowed Dapper to go hunting at night. What he caught fed both of them next morning.

It was the evening of her third day of travel that she finally allowed herself to have a campfire. She was hoping to reach her friend tomorrow...maybe sleep in a real bed and take a bath, she thought wistfully. "A bath," she sighed. She was feeling quite grimy. She was used to being outside but that didn't mean she missed some creature comforts.

Her _Longstrider_ and _Bear's Endurance_ spells ended just as she had the town in sight. She jogged the rest of the way until she reached her friend's house. It was a winded Katherine that greeted her friend's mother who had answered the door. It took a number of minutes for her to get her story out to the entire family. She found herself in the arms of her friend's mother as her husband ran off to warn the town elders and the mayor. "I'm so sorry sweetie. We liked your parents; they were good friends," Martha said through her own tears while trying to calm Katherine.

Her husband was soon back and asked her to come with him. In no time she was hustled over in front of several people who asked her questions about what she had seen. They wanted details. "What do you think?" someone who turned out to be the town's mayor asked the heavily armed man wearing armor. "Sounds like a raiding force of Orcs and Trolls. Orcs are bad enough but it's the Trolls that are the major concern. I've only heard tales about them. Twice as strong as any man and near impossible to kill," he answered which had Katherine worried.

"What do we have?" the mayor asked. "Not enough," was the immediate answer. The mayor breathed in heavily and let it out. "Alright, send runners to the closest towns and ask them to send help. If that raiding force makes it past us they don't stand a chance." He knew the closest towns were smaller than his own town.

"Get the women and children out of here and onto the road. Have them spread the word that we will pay adventurers 1,000 gold pieces each if they will help us. How much time do we have?" the mayor inquired. His Captain thought about what he had been told. "She's given us maybe a week or if we're lucky, 10 days. That's assuming if they walk and she's correct about her speed and distance." Katherine kept her mouth closed at what to her was an insult. To think that she didn't know what she was doing! Still what was coming was a horror. "They are likely pulling carts carrying supplies which will slow them down," he added.

One week...


	5. Chapter 5

**K and K 5**

It took some work but Katherine was finally soaking in a tub filled with hot water. She had her eyes closed and just savored the feeling. "Gods, but this feels so, so good," she sighed. She finally picked up the handmade soap that had a nice cherry scent to it and washed herself and her hair. When she came out wrapped up in a towel she found all of her clothes hanging on a wire drying. "So what happens next?" Katherine asked getting back into what was coming their way.

"They're arranging transportation for all of the women and children; we leave early tomorrow morning. Riders have already left for neighboring towns," Martha told her just as her daughter, Vicki, walked up and embraced Katherine. "I'm sorry I missed you earlier. I was out doing deliveries." The Hunt family made clothing for others. A few items they made were extremely ornate and very complex to make.

"Oh, I brought you something! I almost forgot to give it to you." Katherine went to her backpack and easily pulled out the two bolts of cloth. That was one of the best things about her magical backpack - anything she wanted out of it was always right on immediately rubbed the fabric between her fingers. "Wherever did you get this?" Martha was smiling widely as she caressed the cloth. "I stole it off of what I've since learned are Orcs. There were six of them and I held them for a minute while I searched their cart and then ran," Katherine explained.

"I haven't seen silk from the far northeast in a really long time. These bolts are worth a small fortune," Martha informed her. "They're yours," Katherine told her. "Oh no sweetie, I can't take these. You can get hundreds for each of these on the open market," Martha protested. Katherine considered what Martha had said. "Fine. Then pay me 20 gold pieces each and they're still yours." It had Martha thinking. She had met Katherine and her parents, Johanna and Jim, and knew what type of people they were. Katherine, it seemed, was a carbon copy of them. "How about this instead - I'll pay you 45 gold pieces for each and not a copper piece less," Martha stated firmly then left and came back with Katherine's money. "Put the money to good use sweetie. Please tell me you're coming with us in the morning," Martha asked hopefully. She cared about the young woman and wanted her to be safe.

Katherine actually hadn't given it much consideration, still she didn't back down from anything or anyone. Between her parents and her grandmother, she had learned to look after herself. Unwavering, Katherine stated, "I'm staying. They killed my family and my entire village." Martha knew conviction when she heard it. And the need for revenge. "If I don't see you in the morning, please take good care of yourself. Your parents would want you to live and be happy sweetie. Try not to join them standing next to their god." Martha gave her a mother's hug and kissed her head and didn't see her again.

Katherine spent the rest of the day with Vicki as they talked, played games, and laughed at the fun they were having. She didn't see either of them in the morning after she woke up having overslept since she had a real bed to sleep in.

Martha's husband was still there. "How are you?" Jackson asked her as he served her breakfast. Katherine was dressed casually for a change since she didn't need her armor. "I'm fine Mr. Hunt," she replied. "You might as well call me Jackson, young Katie, since we're going to be on the front line soon," Jackson countered. She ate in silence. Once they were done eating he said, "Better come with me, we have a lot to get done and only a week to do it in."

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

During the next week Katherine watched as impromptu walls were constructed which were meant not to stop the Orcs and Trolls but to try and direct them into kill zones. The more townspeople they had hitting the same group, the more of the enemy would die with hopefully fewer losses. It was also during that week that she saw militia men and a few women come in from the two surrounding towns. The Hunt home soon had three more people sleeping in it. "We want to thank you for putting us up," the Hispanic male told both of them.

"Nonsense! If you're going to risk your lives for our town and the gold, you might as well be comfortable," Jackson insisted, happy to have them. "Still, we thank you. I'm Javier Esposito, a third generation Ranger. This is Kevin Ryan, he's a thief," Javi told them only to hear Kevin cough. "I prefer the term Rogue since I only steal from the bad guys. Your valuables, wherever they are, are perfectly safe from me and I'm second generation," Kevin explained. "I'm Lanie Parish and I'm a Cleric of the sun god Pelor and I'm also second generation," the comely Hispanic woman said as she held up the symbol of her god that she wore on a chain around her neck. "And you are?" Lanie was curious as to who the young woman was.

"I'm Katherine Beckett and I'm a second generation Druid. I was trained by my grandmother before sickness took her. These Orcs and Trolls destroyed my village and killed my parents," she stated with venom for them in her voice.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. May the rays of Pelor guide your parents to the heaven they deserve," Lanie told her. "Hang onto that hatred. In a few days when things get rough, keep that hatred for them close and use it to gain a second wind," Javi advised her.

"I'm Jackson Hunt and in my younger days I was a fighter until I was injured badly enough that my leg couldn't be helped. I can still handle myself though," Jackson told them. "Where are you from?"

"We were in a neighboring town just passing through when we heard of your need. I think there are a couple of other adventurers from another town around here somewhere," Javi said. "We were on our way to join a friend. There's a city in the distance where an old wizard is retiring and he's auctioning off all of his things. Our friend is also a wizard and he's hoping to find something he can afford. After that we were going to move on to the town in the mountain, Relfrin," Lanie explained. "I've heard of that town, it has a large candy factory last I knew. We haven't seen any of their candy in months," Hunt informed them. "And Relfrin sounds like just the place we would want to go see," Lanie pointed out seeing that it sounded like something might be wrong and could use the power of Pelor to fix their problems.

"May I come with you after this?" Katherine asked hesitantly. After all she had just met them and except for possibly staying with her friend and her parents, she had nowhere else to go. Besides her grandmother had a lot of stories about her time being an adventurer.

"A Druid you say? That would make our little group well rounded and it looks like your companion has made friends with mine," Javi pointed out as Dapper and Storm ran into the house, around everyone, then back outside. Their behavior had Katherine chuckling. "That's code for 'you're in,'" Kevin told her smiling.

They all noticed that the town greatly diminished in size as it emptied of women and children only to grow in size again as men and women carrying weapons entered it and stayed wherever they could. However with all the town's women being gone it meant there was no one who knew how to cook for large groups. So everyone soon found themselves eating in small groups with whoever knew how to cook doing the cooking.

There were also a lot people making weapons along with quiver after quiver of arrows. Katherine was watching the blacksmith make a large double sided axe and wondered how he had learned how to make something that big. "You're wanted in the city's main building," someone she didn't know came running up to tell her and followed her back.

"This is Dan. He's another Ranger. Since you three are the only ones in the town with animal companions we're asking for the three of you to go out and determine where they presently are located and when they will get here," Katherine was told. "I have a hawk so I'm more adept at doing this out in the open," Dan informed them. Katherine thought it over. She didn't have any practical experience in warfare. Still knowing where they were and how many there were sounded like a good plan. "I've changed my spells a little since I got here but it sounds like a good idea. I need to go get suited up though," she advised them. Looking at Dan and Javi told her they needed to suit up as well. "You have one hour to get changed and meet back here before leaving so you can plan," the mayor told them and the three of them headed out.

"You're sure you're ready for this?" Javi asked her as they met at the front door. "I'll be fine but thanks for worrying. I have a few tricks I've been taught," she told him and had a plan to maybe give them all a warning. It was decided that they would go separately but not too far away from each other. Javi and Katherine would stay in or close to the woods while Dan and his hawk would take the open field.

Javi and Katherine planned to split up and take different directions. "Stay safe," Javi told her. "You too," she replied. "What's with all the rope?" he asked since she had three coils hanging from her shoulders. "I have a surprise planned for anyone who tries to get sneaky," she said smiling and walked off with Dapper out in front.

She was doing just fine, or so she hoped, since she hadn't seen anything or anyone yet. At least not until Dapper came trotting back to her and growled. "Company I take it?" Katherine whispered and quietly followed Dapper back where he came from. Sure enough she saw an Orc tromping loudly through the woods looking mostly at the ground. "What's he doing?" His behavior didn't make sense to her. She decided on a plan and got Dapper's attention. She motioned for him to circle round and come in from behind then growl to get the Orc's attention.

Katherine was sure Dapper had smiled though it looked a little spooky and he took off. She waited till her Orc, who still hadn't spotted her yet, suddenly turned around and readied his weapon. She took that as her cue and charged the Orc while doing her best to be silent. She had her Scimitar out and stabbed him right in the back using her speed to force her weapon in one side and out the other just as Dapper leapt in and bit his leg. She had her first kill in combat, thankful for all the trials her grandmother had put her through. She looked over the dead Orc. She wasn't impressed with his weapon but took the bag that was tied to his belt and shook it, hearing coins inside. So she pocketed it and moved on. It didn't take long before she found a large number of tents and several fires.

"Stay." Katherine pointed at Dapper. She activated her _Chameleon Power_ ring and started moving in closer as silently as her grandmother had taught her. She made it to the closest tent, cut open her own entrance, then stepped inside thankfully finding it empty. Still she could easily tell that a tent of this size was being used to house 8 Orcs literally side by side, almost on top of each other. "Now this is roughing it," she murmured to herself. It didn't help when the thing looked like moths had had some fun with it. Brand new it was not.

A quick look told her there wasn't much in there save for some moldy looking bread and some raw meat that had her stomach turning just looking at it. However she didn't find a single weapon or a single coin. She left via her exit, moved to the next tent, and found basically the same thing. This one had an exposed water bowl though, that had a number of tiny somethings swimming in it. "Gross!" She placed a hand over her mouth and decided on visiting one more tent.

That tent was almost a copy of the other two which had her backing out quickly, moving slowly and quietly until she was back with Dapper who was happy to see her. She had had an inside look at the tents; she just needed one more thing. She looked around till she found a good tree. "Stay here boy," Katherine ordered him and began climbing the tree. She remembered it being easier when she was little. Still she was able to get high enough to see lots of Orcs but curiously saw no Trolls; she started counting tents. There were 32 tents that all looked the same along with one tent that was different in shape but just as large. Four tents shared a fire pit meaning 8 fire pits with fires burning brightly.

Getting down from the tree turned out to be even harder than getting up in the first place. "Time to leave boy," Katherine told him and started heading back to where she separated from Javi. She hoped he was all right.

It was there that she started on her first man-made man trap. A step in the wrong place and up he would go above the height of her head dangling by one foot. She was just finishing working on her third trap when she suddenly heard Dapper growling and someone howling in pain. She turned around to see Dapper with his jaws clamped around the arm of an Orc that she hadn't heard. She rose up drawing her Scimitar at the same time and took a swing at his back, ripping it open. Triumphant, she watched him fall while Dapper still tried to rip his arm off.

Katherine soon had her arms around Dapper. "You're such a good boy. I think you deserve something special for dinner tonight." And she kissed his head. She checked her traps on the way back to the main building. She walked in with a dead raccoon in each hand smiling wide since the wolves were going to eat well tonight.

The others were back and each gave their report. As Katherine listened her heart kept sinking further and further. Her information about the number of tents and the number of beds she found inside meant 256 Orcs with an unknown number of Trolls since she hadn't seen any. The mayor's head was hanging low in despair while his captain was more stoic about hearing everything. "This means we have just over 400 Orcs and an unknown number of Trolls to deal with and from the distance, it sounds like we'll be hit some time tomorrow. Likely as the sun is setting behind them while we look into the sun," he told them. They needed to make adjustments to their defensive plan. "The best defense is a good offense," Javi offered. "Attack them?" Katherine was aghast. She was sure he was mad and seriously wondered about her decision to join them.

"I was thinking my friends and I, along with Dan here, would let them pass by on their way to hit the town, while we wait silently in the woods and hit them from their flank. I've seen some men arrive with war horses. Perhaps a cavalry attack from the other flank at the same time? We could squeeze them between our three sides," Javi suggested. "I like it," Dan said. He was all in. "How do we coordinate the attack?" The captain liked the idea too, but if they all attacked at the wrong time it could lead to disaster. "I have a flare spell," Katherine offered.

"If we sound a horn indicating we're engaged with the enemy at our defensive line and you fire your flare that gets the cavalry charging...it just might work." He was liking it more and more as he thought about it. He just worried whether they had enough men. "Do we have everyone we are going to expect?" he asked the mayor. "Unfortunately yes, though one or two may trickle in later," the mayor responded. They didn't have the numbers however, had the other two towns not sent what they could, they would all be dead if they stayed.

"If we're right, the five of us need to get going. We need to be there and watch them pass before we attack, not get spotted and have them splinter off a strike force to deal with us," Javi pointed out. Dan followed Javi and Katherine to Hunt's house and picked up Kevin and Lanie. Then they headed out toward where Katherine had been earlier only a little deeper into the woods and waited.

Katherine's spells for the day:

Lowest power: _Flare, Cure Minor Wounds, Resistance_ _,_ and _Mending_.

Next power level: _Summon Nature's Ally I, Entangle_ (twice) and _Longstrider_.

Next power level: _Bull's Strength_ (It would increase her strength or any one person she touched to 1-1/2 times their normal strength).

Javi and Dan's only spell for the day was _Entangle_.

Lanie's spells for the day:

 _Guidance_ – God's tiny amount of help on one simple item or action.

 _Mending_ _,_ _Resistance_ _,_ _Read Magic_ _,_ and _Detect Magic_

Next Power level:

 _Shield of Faith_ – Made it harder for an enemy to hit her with a weapon.

 _Summon Monster I_ (twice) – A monster you choose that was limited in size and type magically appeared and immediately attacked an enemy target.

 _Divine Favor_ – Her god granted a better chance at striking an enemy and did more damage than normally possible.

 _Entropic Shield_ – An invisible shield popped up and it helped prevent arrows from striking her. (arrows and bolts from a crossbow only)

Next level of power:

 _Summon Monster II_ – A monster that was just a touch larger and more powerful.

 _Bull's Strength_

They were all within just 5 feet of each other, lined up with Javi and Dan in the middle with Katherine on one end next to Dan, Lanie and her cure spells next to Javi and Kevin was on the other end since he wanted to sneak around and stab someone in the back. Being sneaky allowed him to hit an enemy in a very damaging spot.

Javi and Dan had their bows ready with an arrow already nocked just itching to hit someone who wasn't expecting it. Eventually they saw movement especially after Dapper and Storm growled softly not liking the Orcs that were passing by. "Easy boy, not just yet," Katherine whispered as she stroked his fur and tried to keep him calm. It was just a little later that they heard a horn sound.

"Get ready," Dan warned Katherine as he lifted his bow while Javi did the same for Lanie. That signaled Katherine to cast _Bull_ _'s_ _Strength_ on herself while Lanie did the same. That was followed by Dan and Javi firing their arrows that each struck a different Orc who immediately fell to the ground.

Katherine cast her _Summon Nature's Ally I_ and Lanie cast her _Summon Monster I_. Instantly a wolf showed up in the midst of the Orcs on their end and immediately bit an Orc's leg, while not far away a Giant Fire Beetle materialized and attacked, biting the leg of another Orc. It was called a fire beetle because it had a natural red glow just above and below its head.

Dan and Javi each fired another arrow while the Orcs tried to react to what was happening since they weren't expecting any trouble this far to the rear. All of the fighting should be happening up front. It was at this time that Katherine cast her _Flare_ spell up into the air while Lanie cast _Summon Monster II_ and got a Giant Bombardier Beetle which attacked right next to her other beetle. Her new beetle breathed a 10 foot cone of acidic vapor affecting 3 Orcs.

Dan and Javi fired another arrow each, dropping two more Orcs as they finally reacted and sent two squads of Orcs to attack. Lanie had just enough time to cast _Divine Favor_ on herself while Javi and Dan dropped their bows and cast _Entangle_ with each taking one end of the two squads that are running their way. That left just 4 Orcs that made it to them as Katherine drew her weapon and stood ready with Dapper right next to her growling loudly. She stepped in front of Dan who was now weaponless. It was time to start swinging and see what happens. Which would give Dan and Javi time to pull out swords as Katherine got to see what a Ranger could do wielding two weapons at the same time.


	6. Chapter 6

**K and K 6**

They didn't know what time it was as they sat in the weeds and wild grass just at the edge of the tree line. They were all bone-weary, bloodied, and had cast every spell that they had memorized. Even Dapper and Storm had been hurt. Katherine even had to use both of her _Cure Light Wounds_ potions. She still had the ones she had stolen from the Orcs earlier which included a _Cure Moderate Wounds._

Katherine soon found out that Lanie had a wand that she walked around with and used until each of them was back to being in perfect shape, with no wounds visible or otherwise, or at least until they were near perfect. "When I bought it it had 50 charges in it. Now it only has 32. Once all of them are used up it's worthless. Still it's saved our bacon more than once," Lanie explained. They were all grateful for her use of it.

They had seen the arrival of the cavalry in the distance. Their arrival had taken a lot of the pressure off them as they crushed the Orcs between them leaving them nowhere to go or to get reorganized enough to fight back effectively.

Dan and Javi had found time to step back and pick up their bows and go back to firing arrows from a distance. Then one big Orc wearing a breast plate much like Lanie's showed up and they watched their arrows bounce off of his armor. Just as he was about ready to fall under the assault of Katherine's Scimitar and a little of Lanie's mace a well placed arrow came in and finished him off.

They were spent as they watched what remained of the cavalry push their way towards the town and what was left of the Orcs.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The cavalry had been sent to attack the support Orcs that were simple laborers, cooks, and scavengers. Now the survivors were all assembled in the city square. Even Jackson Hunt was there though he looked a lot worse for wear until Lanie touched him twice with her wand leaving her 30 charges.

A number of Orcs had cut and run when things looked really bad, but the city had lost over 40 people though that number would likely change once they searched and cleaned up. They had won but it had been costly victory.

"We thank everyone for all of their hard work and the risk of their lives. We offered 1,000 gold pieces to each of our adventurers who stayed to help us and we will honor that just as soon as we clean up a little and get a better handle on what has happened," the mayor announced.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was just days later and Katherine and her new friends were feeling much better as they were all once again standing in front of the mayor and his captain along with a few other city fighters.

"Each of these bags holds the money promised to you." He gestured to the bags that were sitting on a table. "In addition, we have gathered every item that we could find that the Orcs either had on them or were inside their tents. All of those items are on the other side of this door which only has one other doorway. That doorway is heavily guarded."

"We are going to have each of you enter the room one at a time using high card to determine the order. You are allowed to exit with one and only one item of your choice," the mayor told them and showed them the deck of cards that he placed on the table. All 7 of them that were adventurers (2 were part of the cavalry with their own horses) picked up their bag of coins and selected a card.

One of the cavalry's horsemen had the highest card so he went in first, selected an item, and was directed out the side door by the 6 guards that were inside the room; he found another 6 guards outside the door. A knock on the door signaled for the next person. Lanie was next; she instantly whispered softly so that only Javi, Kevin, and Katherine had any hope of hearing her. "Clue." Once inside she looked around and cast a spell, _Detect Magic_. She immediately saw what was magical and what wasn't as she could see the soft glow a magical item gave off.

Lanie worked quickly and rearranged many of the items till she had them where she wanted them. She selected a shield to replace the one she had and walked out the side door.

Dan was next and he searched and examined each and every item that he was interested in closely then selected an item that looked like a master craftsman had made and left out the side door.

Kevin turned in his card and walked in and looked around till he found Lanie's clue. He looked over everything till he found what he wanted - a set of locksmith's tools - then he walked out the side door.

The other cavalry horseman was next. He quickly found what he wanted and exited out the side door. That left Javi and Katherine. They knew who was next having seen all the cards already. Javi gave her a smile and hoped she figured it out then he went into the room.

It took him some time to spot Lanie's clue. He selected a single arrow and walked out the side door. A knock from the inside told Katherine it was her turn. She was soon inside and looking around. "Clue, what clue?" she wondered silently. It had her perplexed since she didn't know Lanie very well, at least not well enough to understand what would be a clue that she or they would understand. She knew that _Detect Magic_ was a spell she was capable of casting but she didn't have it memorized. Katherine did however see something amiss. "Clue?" She looked at everything in the area. Still just how big of an area was it? What was in the area and what was out?

She ended up selecting a set of boots since her slippers were becoming a little ragged after all this time. First she tried them on and found that they fit her perfectly so she left them on and walked out the side door. She found her friends outside who questioned her about where she had selected her boots. Lanie and the others all relaxed and let out a breath of air. "They were in the magical area," Lanie explained. "How do we know what they can do?" Katherine may have another magic item, but what good were they if she didn't know what they could they do?

"That's where our friend Richard Castle comes in. We're going to be meeting at the next town we're stopping at before moving on together to the mountain town of Relfrin. He's a wizard and can tell us about what we have selected.

Javi went looking for horses to purchase before they left. That was when he found out they had lots of horses for him to choose from. Several were injured, some seriously. He found out that if he selected an injured heavy warhorse they would only charge him 150 gold pieces instead of the standard 400 gold pieces. They would even include the military saddle, bridle, and saddle bags.

Lanie was able to convert several of her spells to _Cure Wound_ spells and soon they each had a completely healed heavy warhorse for 150 of the 1,000 gold pieces they had been paid for fighting.

Katherine changed some of her spells by trading in one of her _Entangle_ spells for a _Cure Light Wounds_ spell. She didn't have Lanie's ability to change out spells to _Cure Wound_ spells, though she did have the ability to change out spells for _Summon Nature's Ally_.

She cursed at herself for forgetting that when she had prepared her spells for the fight. So she changed out her _Summon Nature's Ally_ for a _Magic Fang_ spell that she could cast onto Dapper that would increase his ability to bite someone and do additional damage above what he could normally do.

The next day, after Katherine said her goodbyes to Jackson Hunt, they were on the road. "Please tell Vicki I said goodbye. I'm sorry I didn't get to spend more time with her. I truly wish I had been able to." Vicki was why she had come this way in the first place.

"I'll tell her and I'm sure your parents would be proud of what you have done here. May your god smile down on you, your life, and everything you do with it," Jackson said as hugged her, kissed her head, then watched her ride away with her new friends.

They had discussed the day before why they hadn't seen the Trolls that Katherine had seen earlier. Still they counted their blessings. Even just a few Trolls would have been too much for them combined with this number of Orcs.

He was sure she was destined to have a great adventure.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Dapper trotted along beside Katherine while on her horse and when they gave their horses a break and walked them instead of riding them. All of the horses still showed a few scars from where they had been hurt in the fight, still they felt great even though they noticed their new riders didn't have the skill their old ones had. But they were alive and now loyal to their new riders because of that.

"How far is it?" Katherine called out after they had been on the road for a few hours. "About four or five days by horseback; two or three weeks if we were walking," Javi called back since he was out front with Storm just a little out in front of him by about 30 feet.

Two days out and they rode through one of the towns that had sent men and women to aid in the fight. They stopped only long enough to eat something and to pick up more feed for the horses as well as some travel rations for themselves. The possums or raccoons that Katherine trapped each night didn't go as far as they used to with more mouths to feed. Still Dapper got most of his while Storm got most of another while the rest of them shared what was left and ate their travel rations.

They rode into a town called Relfrin. Now they just needed to find their friend. The town was buzzing and as they got closer to the town's center they ran across more and more people. Finally they saw a really large green warehouse in the distance. As they got closer they saw jugglers, food vendors, and peddlers with countless items. "Hey what's going on?" Javi didn't understand all of this carnival-like atmosphere.

"See for yourself," he was told and was pointed to the double doors on the green warehouse. Javi and the others walked their horses closer until they could see the notice tacked to the door. " **MAJOR AUCTION TODAY!** **F** urnishings, **C** lothes, and **I** tems of a **M** agical **N** ature. **G** ates **O** pen at **9:00 am** and the **A** uction **B** egins at **10:00 am S** harp. _**All sales are final and all proceeds will be donated to Charity.**_ "

"Looks like we're in the right place," Javi mentioned and then heard his name being yelled. He and the others turned to look as a tall Caucasian man came striding through the crowd headed right for them. The sight of him had Javi, Kevin, and Lanie grinning. "Hey Rick!" Javi called out and waved a little. What Katherine saw was a man who was likely 6'-5" tall and a little thin. He was dressed casually much like her friends were when not wearing armor. His hair was black and closely cut, his face was clean shaven but it was his blue eyes that drew Katherine's attention. He wasn't even looking at her and she was already lost in them.

Rick was soon hugging and slapping backs. He gave Lanie a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'm glad you guys could make it in time. Did you have any trouble?" he asked them. "A lot actually but we'll get to that later. This is Katherine Beckett, she asked to join our little band. She's a Druid and has already proven herself in combat with us," Javi told him.

Rick looked at Katherine and smiled brightly. He took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. "It's a pleasure to meet you. If these three approve then I'm happy to have you join us." He looked and saw her hazel eyes gazing back at him. Katherine was drowning and couldn't take her eyes off of his.

"You should get your horses stabled and tell me where you got them later. It's already 8:30 so you have just half an hour. The closest stable where I have mine stabled is located a few blocks that way," Rick pointed. It took Javi taking hold of Katherine to get her to follow while Rick stayed where he was.

It was while they were walking their horses in the direction Rick had told them to go that they noticed a lot of city guards all over the place. A loud yell of "HEY!" had several of them running as they chased down a pickpocket who had selected his mark but hadn't done it cleanly.

It cost each of them 2 silver pieces per day to stable their horses and another 2 silver for the wolves. The horses were lead inside, their saddles removed, their coats brushed down, then they were fed and watered. The wolves were fed and watered as well, however they didn't take to being brushed very well. A team of kids started to try and sell them things that would be good for their horses and the wolves. They were ignored.

They had gotten back to Rick just as the clock in the tower struck 9:00 and the double doors opened seconds later, the mass of people streaming inside. Once inside they found even more guards than were outside. There was almost one guard for every two people that made it in.

There were tables everywhere and absolutely everything had a tag associated with it telling what it was and what the opening bid would be. It was up to the individual as to how much they were willing to spend to purchase the item.

Their small group followed Rick as he walked from table to table. After all he was the reason they had come here in the first place and this auction was his reason to be here.

Katherine was looking at the tables also until she started seeing who or what was in the crowd. She tugged on Javi's shirt. "What is he?" She tried not to make it obvious so she gestured instead of pointing to a short human who had big hairy bare feet. "He's a Halfling," Javi stated matter of factly. It was only then that she noticed several dozen of them inside the building, most of them on the other side of all the tables.

Katherine tugged on Javi's shirt again. "And what's that?" She couldn't take her eyes off of whatever it was. He was easily 7 feet tall, mostly grey in color with a sloping forehead, jutting jaw, prominent teeth, and coarse body hair all over. He kind of reminded her of an Orc. "That's a Half-Orc. Most aren't very bright and they hate Orcs with a passion unrivaled by anyone else. Just leave him be and he'll leave you alone," Javi told her.

Still he was an Orc and Katherine couldn't help but scowl at him till she turned her head to look back at the table they were presently in front of. They were at yet another table and her eyes returned to the Half-Orc once again. She watched as he walked right over to her and scowled as fiercely at Katherine as she had at him, except with his height and bulk he towered over her. "You have a problem?" he demanded as he ground his teeth.

"No, no problem. She just isn't used to being in a town this large," Javi said as he tried to step in front of her but there was no room. "My village and family were murdered by Orcs just like you," she said defiantly. Katherine didn't back down even if neither she nor Javi had their wolves with them. They had been left with the horses. "Did you kill them?" he growled while still looming over her. "I killed several by my own hand just a few days ago," Katherine challenged him. She wasn't sure but it looked like he was smiling! "So you're an Orc slayer. GOOD!" And he tapped her on top of her head then walked away. What Katherine didn't notice, but several others had, was that the crowd around them was breathing again; a potential crisis had been averted.

Soon a gong sounded and the first item was brought up for auction. They continued to look at tables till they joined the others and tried to see what was up for bid on the elevated podium. Clothes were first followed by some very find china with wine goblets being next. Everything was bought just not by any of them. Next was a uniquely decorated vase that went for 400 gold pieces much to Katherine's surprise.

That was followed by several bottles of white wine and then several bottles of red wine. Ten gold pieces and then 30 gold pieces for each lot respectively. Next was a complete set of beer making equipment. Someone paid 50 gold pieces for it though she couldn't see who.

Next came a 2' x 3' painting titled "The Seeker." It eventually sold for 4,300 gold pieces. "So much for a painting!?" Katherine exclaimed finding herself standing next to Rick who looked down at her and allowed her to go swimming in his eyes yet again. "There's a rumor that the mountain in the picture holds a map to a treasure that's hidden somewhere," Rick explained then looked back at what was up next. Katherine, however, kept looking up at him wishing he would look at her again so she could see his stunning eyes.

Twenty clean parchment pieces perfect for inscribing spells onto for a spell book were up next in the auction. Rick eventually won them having to spend 45 gold pieces for them. Next came 10 bottles of ink that were magical bottles. So long as the stopper was closed before an hour passed, the bottle would remain forever full. It was perfect for writing spells. Rick won the bid spending 130 gold pieces.

Next up were twenty quills from a Cockatrice that Rick finally purchased for 30 gold pieces. Then came 30 sheets of vellum, perfect to scribe spells onto for magic scrolls. Rick eventually won with a bid of 70 gold pieces.

A complete alchemical laboratory went next for 3,300 gold pieces.

"Cockatrice?" Katherine whispered to Rick who once again looked down into her eyes. "It's a type of bird that, if it touches you, can turn you into solid stone. Effectively killing you though you are technically still alive if someone can figure out how to turn you back into flesh," Rick said quietly answering her question then he looked back to see what was next. "Solid stone?" she whispered to herself.

Cut-proof purse strings were up for bid next. The auctioneer even demonstrated using a simple knife like a thief would use. Javi and Lanie each bought one of the twelve that were available for 1,000 gold pieces each.

Next up were Message Wires. There were twelve of them. Two of them were necessary for it to work. Someone spoke into one wire and a person could hear what was said and communicate back so long as each person was no further away than 1,000 feet. All twelve were sold for 1,300 gold pieces for each set.

Up for auction next were five brass globes about the size of a hen's egg. Each had a continual light spell on it. Katherine bought one for 300 gold pieces since she liked the sound of it.

Soap of Refreshment was next. There were 10 of them and each bar was good for 25 washes. Each wash was capable of working like a _Cure Light Wounds_ spell if used a minimum of 24 hours between each use. They also improved your comeliness a little which lasted for 6 hours after use. Katherine and Lanie each bought one for 100 gold pieces.

Next were 10 bottles of No-Pain Tooth Rinse. Each bottle had 10 uses and would remove the pain of a bad tooth. It didn't solve the tooth problem, it just made the pain go away for 24 hours. All ten were sold for 50 gold pieces per bottle.

Up next were 10 location tags. They could be sewn into a garment and when you called out what that garment was, it would chirp until you found it. All ten were sold for 50 gold pieces each.

Horseshoes of Speed were next and they got Katherine's attention. However they sold for 2,700 gold pieces for a set of 4 horseshoes. She didn't have that much money.

A Rope of Climbing also had her attention, but it sold for 2,850 gold pieces. Once again it was more money than she had.

"The final item of the day is this vest." Katherine was in love just looking at it. It was green with white leaves stitched onto it and had gold piping along the edges. It was gorgeous! "This item is a Druid's Vestment." Katherine couldn't help but slap a hand over her mouth.

When it reached a bid above 1,500 gold pieces, she had to stop. She sighed regretfully; she had really wanted that vest. She didn't even know what it would do, but the description had the word Druid in it and that was enough for her.

What she hadn't noticed while she was bidding was that her friends were talking softly with each other including Rick. Katherine watched as the Druid's Vestment sold for 2,450 gold pieces then saw the auctioneer point at her. "No, no, not me! I don't have that kind of money and I stopped bidding a while back," Katherine said frantically only to watch him walk off as a man, a Halfling to be precise, came up to collect the money like several had done for the entire auction.

It was then that she watched each of her friends pool some of their money with almost all of hers. The Druid's Vestment was hers! Tears pooled in her eyes then rolled down her face. "I'll pay you back. Some how, some way, I'll repay each of you. I promise," she said as she held the item in her hands tenderly while holding it tight to her chest. Her other items had gone into her backpack already.

They were starving after the auction so they found a decent place to eat. While they were waiting for their food each of them told Rick about the battle and what part they'd played in it. Then they asked him if he could tell them about the items they'd chosen as their share of goods confiscated after the battle. He told them he would memorize enough spells to identify each of them for them.

Lanie – Her shield was twice as good as her old one.

Kevin – His new lock picking kit enabled him to double his ability to unlock locks.

Javi – He had an arrow that would kill instantly if it hit any Giant (Giants, Ettins, Ogres, Ogre Mage, Trolls). It was a one-time use, once it worked it became a normal arrow, likely broken while hitting bone.

Katherine – Boots of Striding and Springing. They increased her ability to jump and run by 1-1/2 times what she normally could. That would also increase her speed when she cast her spell _Longstrider_ again.


	7. Chapter 7

**K and K 7**

They stayed in Twithley only long enough for Rick to cast a spell to identify each of the items that they had gained as payment for defending the town against the Orc attack. "You really have had an adventure," Rick chuckled at his friends. That was followed by him listening to Katherine's tale of what happened to her and her village. "I'm truly sorry for the pain you have gone through." Katherine actually found herself being hugged by him and going soft in his arms as she enjoyed his hug greatly.

"We need to get moving in the morning after we pick up some supplies," Rick told them."I don't have much money left to buy supplies with," Katherine pointed out since she had spent heavily at the auction though she was happy with her purchases. "You let us worry about the travel rations. Just keep catching fresh meat and we'll call it even," Javi told her since his wolf seemed to like having fresh meat each day much like her wolf did.

Combined they had more than enough coin to purchase potions of _Cure Light Wounds_ for everyone, including Katherine, at 50 gold pieces each and enough travel rations and feed for all of the horses for two weeks. They journeyed out of town, their funds somewhat depleted. Ironically Katherine was now probably almost as rich as the rest of them with her 44 silver pieces that she had stolen off of the Orcs along with a number of copper pieces.

Katherine soon found that Javi, being a Ranger, was out in front along with his wolf Storm. Lanie was next. Kevin was just off her side a horse length behind her while she and Rick traveled side by side with Dapper trotting alongside her.

"Is there a reason why we're traveling to this town in the mountains? Relfrin, is that correct?" Katherine asked him. "One reason is because it's one of the few passes through the mountains that typically doesn't have any trouble with monsters attacking it. The other side of the mountain contains many cities and opportunities to make money and names for ourselves. There are lots of job opportunities on the other side and bigger cities with more gold than they know what to do with," Rick responded.

"How did you become a Wizard?" Katherine questioned him, not knowing much about him, except that she loved his eyes. And the rest of him was easy to look at, too. "My mother died in childbirth and I didn't know who my father was. I was a rather obnoxious child and essentially grew up on my own. I trusted no one and stole what I needed to keep me alive. Finally I stole from the wrong person and got caught. Rather than turning me over to the Constable he kept me and started teaching me to be a person. Naturally I didn't take his trying to help me well. The problem was he was always one step out in front of me. I was pretty sure I was being careful and in a few cases I knew I hadn't even talked to myself about one action."

"He had a room that I was ordered to stay out of if I wanted a to keep a roof over my head," Rick told her and reflected back on those days. "I take it you didn't listen?" Katherine asked, not sure it really was a question. "That would be putting in mildly." Rick chuckled lightly. "However getting into that room wasn't that easy. Still I managed to get in. I had to solve a number of puzzles to gain access." Rick started laughing which put Katherine at ease since he was likely laughing at himself.

"I _thought_ my way into my new room where he was going to teach me how to be a Wizard. The bastard had tricked me into stop acting like a child thief and to think like an adult. I spent years in that room learning, soaking up everything he could teach me," Rick explained. "Really?" Katherine glared at him which had him chuckling again. "Fine. I let him teach me then used what I'd learned to get back at him, to find his gold and other treasures."

"The last laugh was on me. While I was fighting back he was teaching me what it meant to be a Wizard. It didn't hurt that I was an avid reader. I read every book he put in front of me; I think he spent a fortune buying me books or scrolls to read," Rick said smiling.

"Where is he now?" Katherine inquired. "Dead. He caught a bug that the local clerics couldn't seem to get rid of no matter how many tried or what spell they cast on him. The bastard taught me to be a man and a Wizard then he up and died on me." Katherine was sure she saw a tear that he wiped away surreptitiously but she still noticed.

"You loved him." Katherine was catching on. Rick turned to look at her which gave her a chance to get lost in his blue eyes. "Yeah, he got under my skin, the little shit. I so tried to rebel at him; instead I ended up loving him like the father that I never had. He got the last laugh though. The little shit didn't leave me a thing except a note," Rick told her. "What did it say?" Katherine asked. Rick reached into his clothes and pulled out a small book that she would later learn was his traveling spell book. He studied it daily so he could memorize his spells for the day after he had cast any.

He pulled out a well-worn piece of paper and reached across to hand it to her as she reached to take it. It looked old; it had been handled a lot and folded so often that the folds were now a permanent part of it. Katherine opened it and saw a well-written and embellished note.

 _R_ _ichard,_

 _I've done my best for you_ _,_ _my son. It's now up to you to show me what you have learned and be the best man you can be. I hate you too_ _,_ _my son. Yet I love you_ _so much,_ _you little bastard._

 _~F_ _ather_

Katherine could feel tears rolling down her cheeks as she folded it back up like she found it. "He was your father." She looked at the square of folded paper before handing it back to him. "At first I railed against the information and screamed obscenities at him. I came very close to burning this little piece of paper. ...Now I love the bastard and wonder why he never told me. Still I am who I am today because of him...curse him." Rick tucked the piece of paper back in his book and wiped away a tear not trying to hide it this time.

"So why a Druid?" he asked since she now knew why he was a Wizard. That made Katherine smile which didn't happen often now a days after losing her family.

"My parents owned land filled with nut trees. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans. Have you ever seen a walnut still on the tree?" Katherine asked him but didn't wait for a reply before she continued. "Inside that hard shell is the walnut that you are after. Outside of the hard shell is the husk, that when ripe, falls off the tree. When it's ripe the husk is mushy and is black inside. It stains your hands black. I can remember my parents coming home during harvest time with black hands. The whole hand and it doesn't wash off, it only wears off with time. When I became old enough I joined them out in the field and I came home with black hands just like my parents did."

"However before then I was left in the care of my grandmother. She used to be a junior member of the Druid Council. There are only ever 12 members of the council," Katherine said which told him just how powerful her grandmother had been.

"She caught me sneaking out to spend time with our neighbor's herd, getting them to stay calm when the wolves would howl. She told me stories and I eventually asked her if I could learn to be a Druid," Katherine paused as she remembered her grandmother before she got sick. "Gran began teaching me everything she could. She gave me tasks to perform and I had to come back with proof that I had accomplished the task. She kept telling me that I had a blessed blood line, that one day I would learn what it was and be able to tap into it. I still don't know what she was talking about though. ...But then Gran became ill and no one, including her, could do anything about it. I watched her get weaker day after day until one day I showed up at her house and she didn't answer the door. A few months later the Orcs came and killed everyone then ransacked the town."

"I was out chasing a stupid goat who decided that he was now a mountain goat. I watched them ride in. It was horrific. I saw them kill everyone and everything, even livestock. After they left, there was next to nothing behind. However when Gran lay ill and suffering, she told me where she had hidden her most precious items: her armor, her scimitar, and her backpack. She told me what they could do when I became strong enough to take advantage of their full power. I took them with me when I left what remained of my home. My Gran meant a lot to me," Katherine said as she wiped away some tears that escaped.

"Now I understand why you hate Orcs so much. And just so you know, Half-Orcs hate Orcs almost as much as you do if not more. In their case they hate half of themselves and blame Orcs for what they are. Actually hate what they are," Rick offered for future information.

"Rick?" Katherine had a question. "Hmm?" was his response. "How do you know so much? Cockatrice, Half-Orcs, Halflings?" She gave him some examples. Rick chuckled. "You can blame my father for that. In between being taught how to cast spells, I spent my time reading and learning. He had thousands of books and scrolls and he made me read each and every one of them in the beginning. And when I finished those he went out and got me more," he explained.

She scrunched up her face trying to figure out how he had time to read that much. He looked to be only a few years older than her. "I'm able to read very quickly. Give me an hour and I'll have read the entire book. I also have an eidetic memory, meaning I remember everything. Open a book, tell me the page number, and I'll tell you every word on that page," Rick told her. Katherine stared at him with her mouth hanging open. She always thought her memory and processing skills were pretty good. Her gran had told her so. But to actually remember everything that easily... "I'll remember that should I come across a book or scroll in case it's one you haven't read."

"Thanks, that's thoughtful of you. I appreciate that." Rick was being sincere since reading was actually something he had learned to love thanks to his father. He didn't have anything with him that he hadn't already read.

They had been traveling for days, and except for some locals, hadn't seen anyone on the road coming or going. Javi fell back to join the others. "Something's going on. This pass is the only one for miles and it should be heavily traveled. At the very least we should have seen a caravan carrying candy," Javi pointed out uneasily.

"A landslide perhaps?" Katherine suggested since the rocks she was looking at up ahead looked like they might be loose. "That's a possibility though someone from town would have found out about it and started work on clearing it," Javi said. "Maybe it's recent," Katherine countered. They agreed it was possible, still when they started back up again Javi was out in front of the group a good distance and Storm was even farther ahead.

Katherine stopped and turned to look back. They were deep inside the pass and so far there had been no collapse blocking the road. The sun was just setting as she turned back and was blinded for a moment.

They were walking their horses. She was just behind a tall Caucasian male who was also dressed casually. When he turned to look at her all she saw was his blue eyes. She didn't understand why but she was drowning in them and they were making her legs weak. Kate looked down at herself and saw she was dressed casually and not very colorfully, much like the others. She too, was wearing sandals that looked well used. "Hurry up Katherine. It's only another mile or two," the Hispanic male urged her and turned back to walking. It was going to be really dark soon.

' _WHAT THE HELL!?'_ she thought in alarm.

She was leading a horse that had saddle bags and there was a dog walking right next to her. She could also feel that there was a backpack on her back. Checking for her weapon, she found that she had a weapon alright but it wasn't a gun. It was a scimitar! _AND WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE WEARING_ _ON HER CHEST_ _!?_

Even worse, one of them knew her given name. How was that even possible? She hadn't used her full name in years. And just where the hell was she? She saw she was outside amongst tall pines on a dirt road going up into the mountains. Until she had more information she decided to just keep her mouth shut and let everyone else do the talking. Maybe they would unknowingly tell her something that would help.

They came up over a rise; what they saw was beautiful. The town they were headed for had been built inside the collapsed dome of an extinct volcano. There was even a small waterfall spilling water into a lake that disappeared into an underground river.

The town itself was relatively small while on three sides were farms since the town was built up against a rock wall on one side. "We can stop and rest, get supplies, and some real food," Javi told them and started down into the volcano. As they entered the town they saw a large banner that read: Home of the Realm's Finest Cheese! "I thought you said this place made candy?" Kevin was put out since he had a sweet tooth. "It does or at least it did when I was here last," Javi answered him very perplexed because Relfrin had a history of candy making.

The first building they came to was an inn on their right. "The Lazy Cat Inn," Javi read the sign. "Stop or move on?" he asked the group. "Let's find the stables first and then look around," Rick proposed, so they kept walking. There were a number of houses on their left, all two stories with stairs on the outside to reach the upper level. Walking down the road between them they found the stables on their right, slightly elevated above the ground on a raised plateau. It had a ramp leading up to the main barn. The hostler, a man named Jonk, accepted their money though he sounded disappointed. He charged them 3 sliver pieces per night per horse and flatly refused to shelter their dogs. Since he was all alone that late at night they had to help him remove the saddles.

All of the horses appeared to be on edge and were fidgety. "Easy boy, take it easy," Javi tried to soothe his horse. Kate however had noticed that the dogs were growling. Still they left the horses behind and just took their saddle bags. Javi asked where there was an inn where they might stay the night. "One is that way and one is that way." Jonk simply pointed each direction then picked up a curry comb to start work on the first horse.

It turned out the only other inn was on another raised plateau just to their right. "The Silver Crescent Inn. At least it sounds better though it is smaller," Javi pointed out. It had a wide set of stairs and as they went up Javi noticed that the entire building was sitting on wood pilings and pointed that out to the others. Walking inside they found that there was a tavern on the ground floor with rooms on the second floor. There were only a handful of people inside with several empty tables. "Maybe it isn't the better of the two," Javi admitted, not liking that it was so empty. If the food and drink was actually any good it would be busier. "Perhaps it's not late enough?" Lanie put forward. Still they found out there were only two empty rooms left for the night, one for the men and one for the women. "Your dogs make a mess and I'll charge you double then make you to scrub the floor," the innkeeper warned them. Javi accepted while Kate, when they looked at her, simply nodded. _'So one of the dogs is mine!?'_ she thought in dismay.

The room Lanie and Kate found themselves in was simple enough and had cots so they were at least off of the floor. "What was he?" Kate asked the woman with her. "You've never seen an Elf before?" Lanie questioned in disbelief. Kate did her best to hide her shock. _'An elf? A real live elf!?'_

The door had no lock. The men's room was across the hall and Lanie stepped into their doorway. "No locks," she pointed out. "I have a spell to lock ours but not another spell for yours," Rick said. "We can leave Storm and Dapper inside your room," Javi offered. Even though Kate didn't want anything to do with the dogs she nodded in agreement so they wouldn't think something was wrong.

Back downstairs they looked around the tavern. Kate thought it was a dive and didn't see any lights except for burning torches in holders on the walls and braziers on the floor. The windows were open and there was no glass. "Actually this place isn't that bad. A little rough maybe but I've been in worse," Javi revealed. Kate's eyes widened in surprise at his statement. "Food for the dogs?" Javi inquired of the innkeeper and was told there was a chicken farm on their way out, that way. And he pointed.

"I'll get them," Javi offered. "Order me something to eat. I'll be back." And he walked out the door and wandered through town till he located the small farm. He found that he literally had to go through the farm to get to the single building on the property. Javi opened the gate and was immediately confronted by a goat with horns that tried to butt him back out the gate. "Easy boy, take it easy," Javi crooned and after a minute of petting and scratching the goat, it calmed down. When he found the goat's weak spot and scratched it, the goat thanked him with a lick.

The building had just one door so he opened it and found a small room with two doors. "What want?" a rough voice asked. Javi looked around but didn't see anyone. He finally gave up and said, "I need food for two wolves. I'm told you have chickens." It really wasn't what he wanted but it would do. "Chickens, pigs, goats," the rough voice answered. That had Javi thinking. "One goat would be good," he replied knowing that he could gut it and feed it to Storm and Dapper.

Javi stood there and waited for a response. Finally he couldn't take it any longer and opened the door that had a hole cut in it and saw a man tying a small goat into place. He noticed that the man turned his face away quickly, but not quickly enough. Javi saw that his face was badly burned and heavily scared along with the top of his head. "Our party has a Cleric and can probably heal those burns and perhaps your scars for you," Javi said, offering up Lanie's help without a second thought. "No, no help!" the farmer replied. "I'm pretty sure she can, I'll go get her." Javi left ignoring the farmer's protests.

He returned in about 15 minutes with Lanie in tow. But the man was gone, the goat still there and a written bill to purchase it. Lanie, however, didn't take no for an answer and found him outside in the pig pen hiding behind a fence. "NO, Father Thero says no help!" The farmer retreated farther into the pig pen while hiding his face.

Lanie looked at all the mud and cursed internally, but she slogged out into the mud until she was close enough to cast a spell on him, _Cure Light Wounds_ _,_ and she held out a potion. "This will help, I promise. I'm a Cleric of the Sun God Pelor. All I want to do is help you," Lanie tried to convince him. She did get him to take the potion from her but he wouldn't drink. "Please drink, it's good for you. I swear," she coaxed. Lanie wanted to see him do it.

Lanie wouldn't leave until he drank the potion and handed back the empty vial. "I'll be back in the morning to check on you. We'll pay for the goat and leave you in peace." Lanie did her best to slog back out of the mud pit and join Javi. She made a disgusted face at her mud-covered her feet and legs. "You owe me for this." She stopped outside, picked up a broken stick, and tried scraping the mud off while cursing Javi's name. Javi just smiled knowing she didn't mean it and was glad he'd brought her to the farmer.

Javi gutted the goat outside and took the halved carcass up to the room to feed their wolves. Meanwhile Kate picked at her dinner. _'Where the hell was she, who were these people and what was this slop!? And he really did look like an elf with those ears and complexion.'_ She was forcing her food down just as Javi came back downstairs. He found his dinner waiting for him. "This isn't bad," he remarked and dug in. Lanie came in after scraping off the mud. "The farmer had been badly burned fairly recently. I did what I could and I'll go back to look in on him in the morning. I can't believe there's no healer here who could help him!" Lanie exclaimed.

"Not hungry?" Rick looked at her as Kate willed herself not to look into his eyes. _'Don't look, don't look_ _!_ _'_ Except she did and lost herself in them. "You okay?" Heaven help her! His eyes were getting closer and she was willing him to kiss her. "Maybe you should go to your room and get some sleep. We've been riding pretty hard lately," Rick said and placed the back of his hand on her forehead checking for fever.

Kate squeezed her eyes closed and willed herself to regain her mind. "Yeah, good idea," she mumbled. She liked it since it got her away from them and into the room she would be sharing with the other woman. It gave her time alone so she could search her backpack for clues as to what the hell was going on. Kate faked struggling up the stairs to her room. The only problem was there were two dogs inside one of which was happy to see her and was begging her to pet him, while the other did the same, just not as enthusiastically.

"I'm in big trouble," Kate said to herself as she searched Lanie's backpack for clues followed by searching the one she had been carrying. "How the hell is there so much junk inside this thing?" she wondered as she had everything laid out on the cot along with a part of the floor. She started doing an inventory as she stuffed it all back inside the bag. She stood up after finishing. "How do I get this...thing off?" Kate started playing with the leaves and belt made of leaves. "Leaves, really!?" She quickly found that they were sewn together with a type of thread she had never seen before.

Kate was only just lying down in her cot after finally getting her armor and weapon off when Lanie stepped inside. Or more accurately wobbled inside. Kate had no trouble smelling alcohol wafting off of her when Lanie bent down to try to take her shoes off which still had dried mud on them.

' _Alcohol! Why didn't I think of that? I could really use a good belt about now...'_


	8. Chapter 8

**K and K 8**

Kate had opened her eyes and was staring across the room while lying in her cot. The dogs were lying on the floor, one of them looking up at her. Its color told her it was her dog but she didn't even know its name. What had her awake was her lack of a nightmare. It had been a while now since she had been without one. However those blue eyes in her dream were still haunting her. Except this time they had a face to go with them ...and he was across the hall from her.

She was wracking her mind trying to figure out what to do. She was sure her only option was to keep quiet and simply go with the flow. The longer she could keep it up the more she was hoping to learn. "You're thinking rather loudly over there," Lanie suddenly announced. Kate looked over at the other woman who was watching her. "You should probably take both wolves outside unless you want to clean up after them and scrub the floor," Lanie teased and smiled at her.

"Outside...right." Kate got up and searched through her bag for something simple to wear. Changing in front of the other woman made her pause for a moment but she stripped, hurriedly dressed, then put on her boots. "Let's go you two," Kate told them as she opened the door. Both of them rushed out and headed for the stairs. Downstairs they were waiting for her at the door. Kate noticed that the place was already up and running with a few people sitting and eating...something. She opened the door and watched them rush out together and take off. She ran after them so as not to lose them.

As they pooped and peed she took advantage of being outside alone in the daylight and looked around. The place was small, drab, and devoid of color save for what was put out to celebrate some kind of festival. The sound of metal hitting metal grabbed her attention. Finding the reason for it was no problem. In a shop that had large double doors wide open was a blacksmith pounding on something with a hammer.

He was big. As in tall-big, broad-big, muscled-bound-big, and big-boned, and his skin was so black it fairly glowed in the firelight of the forge. There was a younger version of him pumping a bellows that stoked the fire hotter. "Do you need something?" he suddenly asked with a voice that belied his size "No, just curious," Kate told him truthfully. "I'm Seven, this is one of my sons, Bart. Say hello to the nice lady." He looked at his son who smiled and said a simple, "Hi."

"You must have arrived last night. I don't remember seeing you before," Seven stated."The sun was just going down when we found that inn," Kate told him and pointed. "That's the best inn in town. You chose well," Seven remarked just as Storm and Dapper came running around the corner and moved in to inspect what was going on."Bart," Seven warned him since he had stopped pumping so he could try and pet both of them. The wolves left them and ran around the corner.

"Please, excuse me. I need to get the dogs. It was nice meeting you." Kate decided to stay friendly. She went around the corner to corral the dogs, get them back inside the inn, and back upstairs. She didn't see them but she did see a large poster on the back wall of the smithy.

 **A REWARD of 1,000 GOLD PIECES for information leading to the arrest of the murderers of the Silversmith Dwarves. See Seven the Blacksmith with your information.**

"Money, dwarves?" Kate said to herself as she wondered if she had any money. Storm and Dapper found her and followed her all the way back upstairs to the room where Kate found Lanie dressed in her armor and with her mace on her. "I'll let you get dressed while I check on the men," Lanie told her.

"There's a poster outside offering a reward for information on the murder of someone," Kate said before she closed the door. "I'll tell the men. Better get dressed." Lanie left her. "Great, now how do I get back into this thing?" Kate muttered as she picked up her Brigandine armor made of leaves. Somehow she managed and found herself downstairs looking at breakfast. She decided to have what little fruit was available for breakfast. At this rate she was going to starve to death. Maybe they would let her cook her own food?

After eating they went outside and found the poster and saw another one on a second building though it also had a notice tacked on the door. **NO ADMITTANCE BY ORDER OF THE CONSTABLE**

"The door's unlocked," Kevin announced as he put his new lock pick tools away. All of them slipped inside quickly while no one was looking and closed the door. "Pull out your light globe Katherine," someone called out since it was dark inside even with the sun being up. "My what?" Kate squeezed her eyes closed for being so stupid to answer like that.

"In your backpack. You bought it a few days ago, remember?" was the response. Kate opened her backpack and pulled out something in a black cloth. She opened it and the room was filled with light. What they saw was a burned out building on the inside.

Everyone except Kate started looking around. "Silversmiths all right," Javi said as he held up one of 6 silver longswords he had found. He pulled out his own longsword, placed it on a table, and put the silver longsword in his scabbard. "Found another one for you," Kevin called out and lifted up a silver short sword that Javi took and replaced his with it. "Masterwork swords made of silver are worth more than mine," Javi stated. "Plus they're dead so they won't miss any of it."

"Real dwarves?" Kate couldn't help it, she had to ask.

"Most Dwarves don't associate with a Human settlement, much like Elves don't either," Rick answered. Kate watched as Kevin put one of his whips down, picked up a different one and attached it on his hip. "I'm with Javi," Kevin said, defending himself. "Silver dagger anyone?" Kevin held it up and tossed it at Rick who caught it with his hand.

"I found a book," Kate mentioned and looked inside. "An inventory and sales book," Kate added. "It says there should also be a silver two-handed sword along with a number of silver tipped arrows." She ran her finger over the lines. "As well as 10 pounds of raw silver," she read. A few minutes later all items had been found. "The place looks like it was ransacked, like thieves stole everything. So why did they leave all of this?" Kevin questioned aloud.

"What did that poster say about the Dwarves?" Rick asked Kate. "Something about seeing the blacksmith for a reward for information. And I know where he is," Kate told them.

After they talked to the blacksmith, he was happy beyond words. He and the Dwarves had been close friends. His whooping it up had gotten his wife to come out and meet everyone. Seven informed them that he was convinced that the Constable knew something but was ignoring all of the evidence like what they had just found. "Perhaps a conversation with this Constable should be next?" Lanie asked. As much as Kate loved confrontations she preferred to do things while no one was watching. It was why she was still alive. "Perhaps we should search secretly first. If this Constable is guilty in some way, who's to say he's alone in this?" Kate remarked as she looked at all of them."You find something and need help, I'll help you," Seven assured them and reached up into the rafters of the smithy and pulled down a massive two-handed sword that was even big for him, let alone Javi who was the shortest of all of them.

"Where do we start?" Javi questioned. "What is this festival?" Rick asked thinking maybe the answer would help them. "It's been a year since the candy shop was closed and the cheese shop was opened," the blacksmith told them. "Is this Constable associated with the cheese shop?" Kate questioned him and they watch Seven nod.

"Where is this cheese shop?" Rick asked and they soon found themselves standing out in front of the cheese shop. "Emerald Moon Cheese Shop." It turned out to be the largest building in town and was two stories tall. Oddly enough the building had only one door and no windows. "Let's look around town first and hit this place tonight. Let darkness and the lack of windows work in our favor," Kevin urged, getting all of them to agree.

All of them went over to the burned man's farm so Lanie could look at him again. He let Lanie in but not anyone else. He was smiling widely though still shy. Lanie slowly placed her fingers on his face and saw that it was getting better. "It seems to be working." Lanie took out her wand. "Don't worry this won't hurt and should actually speed up the process a little," Lanie assured him and watched him nod, allowing her to touch him with it. "I'll be back tomorrow to do this again. We should have you looking like your old self in no time," Lanie told him then joined the others with 29 charges left on her wand.

"Now what?" Lanie questioned. "Look the town over, what else?" Rick said and headed in a direction they hadn't gone yet. They found a freestanding tavern, a butcher shop that Javi said he was coming back to later to get something for the wolves instead of buying another goat that he had to butcher himself. An herbalist's shop, a bakery that was irresistible to all of them. They even had cheese and sliced, cooked meat. Kate found out that she had silver pieces enough for her to buy her lunch for the day. It was her first true meal that she was willing to eat.

There was also a tower that they knew nothing about as well as a church which had an above ground grave yard since space for growing things was at a premium. The living always came first.

They were back at the smithy with questions for Seven. "Who owns the tower and the stone elephant?" Rick asked. "No one knows anything about the tower. It just suddenly appeared one morning. One day the wall was flat, the next it was indented and had a 4 story tower in it. There's no door and no windows. The elephant arrived with the tower," he explained.

It gave them another mystery.

They went back to the inn and bought drinks. Kate even had wine; she took a sip and made a face. It wasn't terrible but she hadn't had any wine this bad in a really long time. "When did they make this stuff? Yesterday?" she whispered. However, Rick heard her and answered her question. "Most likely. The good stuff is in really large cities where they have the space to store it for years." She drank it since she had paid for it.

"Something's going on in this town," Javi stated. "Is it the tower? It shows up and the silversmith disappears, not killed or found dead but just plan gone," Kevin asked. "Or this cheese factory. Why change from candy to cheese?" Rick questioned. "And where are the cows that give the milk to make the cheese?" Kate added. "Or goats that give milk for cheese for that matter?" Since to her some of the best and most expensive cheese was made from goat's milk.

"The Constable?" Lanie questioned and watched Kate shake her head. As part of her life she avoided the authorities. "He ignored what the blacksmith told him and did nothing." To her way of thinking he was dirty, she just didn't know how dirty. "Midnight raid?" Kevin was rubbing his hands. "I don't see any alternative." Lanie caved in even though she hated these kinds of actions.

"Where are the Dwarves that ran the silver shop?" Javi wondered getting silence from everyone. It had Kate staring out into space. _'Real elves and real dwarves. What else is around here? Or am I dreaming? Except I wasn't reading at the time.'_

"Pigs, Kate said with a burst of brilliance. "Pigs will eat anything and simply push the bones down into the mud," she defended herself when everyone looked at her. "You're the Druid," Kevin simply stated. _'I'm a Druid!?'_

Kate zoned out on some of the conversation after that while she tried to understand what being a Druid would mean to her present position. She felt real, sounded real, and was sure she was herself, so that meant she was really here. Just how had she gotten here?

"We wait until the inn closes then slip outside and go visit this cheese factory. If we find nothing there we move on to the tower with no doors and no windows," Rick said and saw heads nodding in agreement.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was dark outside, really dark since it was only a quarter moon. "Door or make our own?" Kevin asked as he pulled out his new lock pick kit. Since no one answered, Kevin made the decision. "Door it is then." And moments later he had it open and went inside.

The room was 40 x 15 feet with chairs lined up along 2 walls and a long narrow table between them. A bar was to their left with a door in the far wall. Kevin went to the door along with Lanie while Javi looked at the table. "Cheese crumbs. Old ones," he commented softly as he rubbed the crumbs between his fingers. It told him no one had used this room for a while.

The door opened on Kevin and Lanie who saw a human male, not wearing armor but armed, start to enter the room. They both quickly noticed that there were 4 really large rats with him. Javi already had his bow in hand with an arrow already nocked. He quickly put the arrow in the man's chest. Lanie pulled out her mace and hit one of the large rats that had started to scurry her way.

Kevin uncoiled his silver tipped whip and whipped the big man who cried out in agonizing pain. Both Kevin and Lanie noticed that his wounds that Kevin inflicted were smoking, unlike the arrow Javi had hit him with. It took only seconds but the man and his rats were dead, so Kevin searched him. "He has a key," Kevin held it up grinning.

The next room was really large and was mostly filled with 4 large vats which were being heated by a fire below them making this room very warm. They saw a set of stairs leading up along with another door to their left on the same wall.

A man with a longsword and 3 large rats walked around one of the vats and charged Lanie who was closest. His sword hit Lanie's new shield and glanced off. Kevin, who still had his whip out, hit and killed one of the large rats. Kate stepped up and kicked him in the balls which had him doubling over in severe pain as he moaned about the low shot. He fell to the ground after she used a right cross that intentionally missed his face only to have her elbow come sweeping in and break his nose with a satisfactory crunch.

Kevin made short work of the rats with his whip. What they all saw was that his silver whip caused the rats to smoke where he had hit them. "Maybe it's the silver," Rick offered. Javi changed arrows over to the silver tipped ones he had gotten earlier.

Kevin used the key he'd removed from the first man on the door and found that it unlocked it. After signaling to the others he pulled both doors open wide quickly. There were two more guards with long swords and another 4 rodents of unusual size.

Javi shot a silver tipped arrow through one of the guard's throat; he dropped his sword and clawed at his throat. The other guard and the rats charged out and tried to attack Lanie and Kate with Rick hanging back behind everyone.

Lanie felt the second guard's longsword glance off her shield while Kate noticed a large rat trying to bite its way through her leaves. Kevin whipped a rat while Kate did a roundhouse kick to the side of the guard's head that left him staggered, allowing Lanie to hit him and drop him. A moment later the guards and rats were dead.

"What's with the rats?" Kevin wondered while Rick stared at Kate but remained silent. Inside this new room there were jars everywhere on shelves lining the walls. An inspection showed that some of them have a green substance inside them. In addition there were four sets of leather armor lying on the floor. "If they had armor why weren't they wearing it?" Rick looked down at them and lifted one to examine it. Kate walked into the room and immediately began stuffing all of the jars that she could into her backpack. "They're cheese starters and worth a lot. As for the green stuff, I don't know," Kate admitted but she took them, too. (3,000 gold pieces for the cheese starters and another 1,000 gold pieces for the green dye that would turn anything green, even blood if you were stupid enough to drink a single drop of it.)

While Kate got her jars, Kevin searched the floor to see if there was a secret, hidden area but came up empty. Kevin was first up the stairs only to come back down and search the base of the stairs. They were all surprised when he lifted the stairs as they swung up and stayed open. "Down?" he asked and saw a few heads nod.

Once downstairs they found a large, open, empty room. There were, however, 2 doors on different walls. Kevin made a face and looked the place over but he saw nothing out of the ordinary so he walked over to the closest door on the far side. He found that the key didn't work in that lock. Still a moment later he had it unlocked. He stopped and waited.

This time Kate volunteered to open the door while the others got ready. She pushed both doors opened wide then saw an opulent bedroom with a lovely seating area on one side. It was 40x25 feet and there was a single man lounging in the sitting area who jumped up surprised. "Oh, thank you for rescuing me! I thought no one was going to come for me," he exclaimed. All of them froze in place. "Who are you?" Rick asked from behind everyone. "My name is..."

He didn't get a chance to finish because Kate had charged across the room. She launched herself at him feet first and hit him squarely in the chest which sent him flying up against the wall where he collapsed. They all stood there staring at Kate who promptly got up and jogged over to the man on the floor. She gave him a kick in the face that had his head snapping to one side. She followed that by getting down on his level, placing his head between her hands, and jerked, quickly snapping his neck, killing him instantly.

"What did you do that for?" Javi demanded angrily. "He wasn't a prisoner. Look around! Would _you_ lock up a prisoner in a room like this? And leave him a snack of meat and cheese with a bottle of wine?" Kate pointed to said items on the table next to the chair the dead man had been sitting on when they first entered the room.

Rick snapped out of it first. "She has a point," he remarked which got the others to start searching the room while Kate searched the body. Kate found two potions that said _Speed_ and _Flying_ on them so she stuck them in the bandolier with her other 3 vials. There was also a ring that she took off his finger and looked it over. "May I see?" Rick asked as he held out his hand. She handed it over since it looked too masculine for her taste. "Hmm."

"Left, right, or center?" Kevin asked as he pointed to each door that were all on the same wall. Javi shrugged. "Left?" And everyone got ready after Kevin told them it wasn't locked, allowing Kate to open it. It was an ordinary large walk-in closet filled with clothes, some of which were quite colorful. "Color!" Kate sighed with pleasure. She loved it since finally there was something she could wear wasn't drab. "Even the coats are really thick." She pulled one down and ran her hands over it. "Something's odd," she announced quite puzzled and handed her colorful coat to Rick who felt it and pulled out his silver dagger then started cutting stitches only to have platinum coins fall out and hit the floor.

Soon all of the coats were lying in bits thrown into a corner. "1,000 platinum pieces," Rick announced which had everyone smiling. Kate had a question but didn't want to give herself away. _'How much were 1,000_ _platinum pieces worth in dollars?'_ ran through her mind. Still she worried that since she was fighting hand to hand instead of using the scimitar that was at her side that she didn't know how to use. She was worried that someone would finally notice and start asking her questions.

There was one last door on this level and the stairs going up to the second floor. That door opened up into a short hallway left and right with a door at each end. "Left last time, so right this time," Kevin declared. Javi stood ready as Kate got ready to open the door while the others guarded the other door.

Kate pushed the door open and they found a single human male inside lounging on his bed. He quickly stood up and charged the door only to take a silver tipped arrow to the chest. It stopped him cold but he remained standing. He screamed and to their horror Javi and Kate watched him begin to change before their eyes. His face lengthened into a snout with a twitchy nose, his teeth elongated and became more chisel-like, he grew whiskers while his ears grew large and disc-shaped, he began to grow brown hair everywhere, and a tail sprouted out his ass.

The arrow in his chest smoked a little. Javi shot another silver tipped arrow into his chest and watched it smoke a little as well. But it charged again and hit Javi square in the chest causing him to lose his breath and feel the pain of the hit. Kate wasn't afraid of playing dirty; hell, it was her favorite method of fighting. She promptly shoved two fingers straight into his right eye causing him to scream in severe pain and stumble backwards clawing at his injured eye. That allowed Javi to fire still another silver tipped arrow into his chest.

However the rest of their group could hear noise coming from the other side of the other door and got ready. Four others that looked like a combination man and rat came charging out of the other door straight into Kevin's whip, Lanie's mace, and Rick's spell of Magic Missile. (A missile of magical energy darted forth from his fingertip and struck its target unerringly.)

With two of the four down Lanie took a claw to her shield while Kevin took a claw to his leather armor and felt the pain of the blow. Rick yelled a warning. "LYCANTHROPY! WERERATS! _**DON'T LET THEM BITE YOU!**_ _"_ And he pulled out a wand and reached just past Kevin and Lanie then out shot a very colorful fan of lights that hit the last two wererats still standing. They watched as both wererats clawed at their eyes. That allowed Lanie to swing her mace and kill hers while Kevin cracked his whip and killed the last one.

Kate and Javi's wererat was still clawing at his damaged and heavily bleeding eye as Javi shot another arrow into his chest and watched him fall to the floor.

A thorough search of the first room produced 3,348 gold pieces and 1,056 platinum pieces along with 6 gold necklaces worth 200 gold pieces each. While a search of the other room produced 1,802 gold pieces and 120 platinum pieces.

Kate held a platinum piece in her fingers. "Platinum?" since she had never seen one. "Each one is worth 10 gold pieces," Rick answered her question and thought nothing of it since finding platinum pieces didn't happen often. Copper, silver and gold were most common.

"Lycanthropy?" Kate asked. "It's a disease that converts your human form into whatever bit you. In this case rats. Most lycanthropic forms are vicious killing monsters. You lose your human nature to the disease and become a monster," Rick explained.

"Is there a cure?" Kate questioned now that they knew they were in a rats nest. "None is known of," Rick admitted. She shuddered, realizing how close they had come to disaster.

"Dammit!" Kate swore. She'd been transported to this backwards world and the cheese factory they were in was filled with wererats that could turn her into one of them. She really wanted to go home now. _RIGHT NOW!_

She opened her eyes wide. "Cheese Factory filled with rats." It instantly all made sense to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**K and K 9**

They still had the second floor to search. They were thinking they'd found all of the major players but needed to be sure. Kevin found that his new key didn't work on that lock forcing him to do it the hard way with his lock picks before opening the door himself.

Looking inside they found a large 30 x 30 foot room that had 12 little dolls made of wood with hands that appeared to be disks. They were presently engaged in pressing the cheese into molds. Kevin didn't see anyone or any rats so he walked into the room. All of the little dolls pressing cheese instantly stopped what they were doing and walked his way with their disks.

He immediately stepped back into the stairway and watched them all go back to pressing cheese. "Mechanical guards of some type?" Rick questioned. "There are twelve of them. Granted they moved slowly but those disks look sharp," Kevin pointed out. "Command word, symbol, a certain color maybe?" Rick muttered to himself. "Maybe this is why they aren't selling any cheese?" Lanie offered since she hadn't seen much cheese in town since they got here.

"The only thing new we have is that key, necklaces, and money," Kate reminded them. "And this." Rick held out the ring he had taken from Kate earlier. "Give it to me, I'm quicker and if this works and the other doors in this room are locked..." Kevin took the ring and simply held it out in front of him and walked inside.

They watched as the dolls did nothing except to keep pressing cheese. Kevin was smiling but still cautious, not trusting these little things as he made his way over to one of the doors. Sure enough, he found it locked so he unlocked it and opened it saw several rows of shelving in the middle of the room with wheel after wheel of cheese stacked on them. Closing the door he moved to the other door and found it locked but failed in his attempt to unlock it. Cursing softly he returned cautiously to the others. "That room is filled with cheese wheels. I couldn't get into the last room but I think it's likely just more cheese," Kevin told them. With nowhere else to search they went back to their rooms to get some sleep before getting up in the morning and figuring out what to do with their knowledge of wererats being in the city.

Come morning they stopped at the smithy first and informed Seven of what they'd found. "Rats!" he spat out the word. He asked about the dwarves. Without their bodies he refused to pay the reward which he fully intended on paying.

The farmer with the burnt face was next. Lanie went in alone to find him sitting there feeling his face. "You look better," she commented and ran her finger over his face and his shaved head. "Hold still," Lanie warned him and cast another _Cure Light Wounds_. "That should do it, just give it a day or two," she told him as she watched tears roll down his face as he actually looked up at Lanie. He hadn't allowed anyone see his face for a long time. He was effectively treated as a leper.

"Wait, wait," he told her as he went outside and started digging. Once he found what he was searching for he washed it off and took it to Lanie. "It's magic, I swear. Magic," he told her. It was his gift for what she has done for him. "No, you should keep it. I'm happy to help." Lanie just shook her hands.

"No, you take, magic!" And he shoved it at Lanie forcing her to take it. "Magic." Then he scurried off to tend to his animals. Lanie went back outside. "What's that?" Javi asked pointing at the chalice Lanie was holding. "Payment for what I did for him, I think. He said it was magic." Then it hit her. "I didn't cast _Detect Magic_ in any of those rooms. We may have left something behind!" Lanie remarked excitedly. "We can go back and look tonight. Starting with that one bedroom," Rick suggested.

"Can we stay there long enough for me to take a hot shower?" Kate looked at the faces they were giving her. "What? That bathroom had hot and cold running water indoors. Do you have any idea how long I've gone without a hot shower?" she said, defending herself.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Fine you can take a towel and use that new bar of soap you bought," he told her. Kate stood there smiling while wondering what he was talking about. She didn't have any soap, did she? Maybe that was what that was when she searched her the contents of her backpack. The thought of getting to take a hot shower had her smiling contentedly.

"Well, let's see if this is magic," Lanie announced and cast a spell. "It is actually!" She was astounded. "Let's see what it can do," Rick offered and took it from her hands then cast a spell. His eyes opened wide in surprise. "It's called the Emerald Moon Chalice and it can cure Lycanthropy if someone drinks from it. It only works once every 24 hours." Rick was amazed.

"Now we just need to figure out who is infected and get them to drink," Lanie commented making it sound so simple, though it was anything but. "When's the next full moon?" Rick asked. "In four days starting with today," Javi replied.

"So we wait. At least we have money now," Kevin pointed out. (They now each had 5,620 gold pieces plus a few silver pieces and some coppers).

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They ended up staying for 2 weeks in order to cure everyone who had been infected. The head of the church, the herbalist, the constable, and 3 of his helpers along with the butcher had all been infected.

The town had celebrated their festival right on schedule and found themselves with several wererats running around at the first full moon. The townspeople had pooled their resources and paid their saviors 10,000 gold pieces. (another 2,000 gold pieces per person making their pockets bulge with 7,620 worth of gold coins) and rejoiced when a salesman traveling through offered to buy and work the cheese factory after he had an extension built onto it.

Their party bought supplies for their trip to the other side of the mountains and said their farewells to Relfrin after collecting 1,000 gold pieces from the blacksmith. They had found the Dwarves' dead bodies inside the church (7,820 gold per person now plus various amounts of silver and copper coins).

The next morning Rick and Kate were walking side by side with their horses. "Who are you? You haven't set any traps to catch fresh meat, you haven't cast any spells for days. You didn't even pull your weapon during the fight in the cheese factory; instead you fought hand to hand. You were surprised that the chalice was magic and you've just learned that the sleeping bag which we found in that bedroom is magical. Since you slept in it last night you now know what it can do just like the ones we use.

So I repeat, who are you?" Rick tersely demanded as they continued walking. Kate could barely catch her breath. What she feared most had come to pass. She'd been found out!

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine blinked her eyes several time to recover from being blinded, however when she finally saw clearly, nothing was right. She was inside instead of outside, or at least it appeared to be inside. There was a table with various items on it. Though she noticed the gold coins right off but not why they looked odd.

She could see outside and saw white stuff on the ground with still more white stuff falling heavily from the sky, collecting on top of what was already on the ground. There was a wood ceiling above her and what the hell was the space next to her?

She walked closer to the white stuff that was falling and tried to stick her hand out to collect some of it. "OW!" Her hand hit an invisible barrier and it had hurt a bit. Katherine placed her hands on the barrier carefully and ran her hands all over it. "I'm trapped!" Looking around she didn't see any doors. Plus the barrier felt cold to the touch.

She could, however, see a soft reflection of herself in the invisible barrier. She placed hands on her chest as she looked down at herself. "Where's my armor!?" She twisted around and felt for her backpack. "And my backpack!?" Now she was really looking herself over. "What am I wearing?" Her legs were covered with something skin tight; at first glance she'd thought her legs were painted. Her top was large and colorful as well as soft. Then she realized something was holding her breasts in place which had her lifting up her top just far enough to check. She, like all women, had bras but this one was different. It was soft, it fit perfectly, and was a kind of bluish-green in color. "And my VEST!?" She had just bought that vest and what was on her feet? They were comfortable, they were 3 different colors, and they had laces. _'What the hell was going on?'_

Katherine walked into the next space and ran her hand over the top that looked to be made of wood. There were two silver-colored panels on the other side that had handles. Moving on she found something that was also silver in color that had a flat black top with silver circles on it that she couldn't feel. Still the black top was smooth to the touch. And what were the little silver circles on one side that said ON, OFF, BAKE, BROIL? While another had numbers up to 600. Plus still others that said LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH.

She dared not touch them and moved on. Now this room she understood. There was a place to sit that faced a wood burning fireplace that actually had a fire going in it that was putting out heat. On either side were lots and lots of books most of which were bound with bright colors on them.

But what was the big black thing hanging above the fireplace? Moving on she found another invisible barrier with seating and another fireplace at the end. The area was covered in white stuff. The barrier was cold, too.

She had just noticed that a portion of the barrier had a silver handle on it and she started reaching for it when suddenly behind her there was a tune playing followed by a beep. This grabbed her attention.

She found stairs going up along with a wooden door on the wall with silver accents. Katherine decided on the stairs first and went up them carefully and as quietly as she could, wishing mightily for a weapon. Then she remembered something she saw back in the other room. There were silver handles next to each other sticking out of a block of wood and when she pulled the biggest one out she found it was a knife; it was a big one. Pulling out a little one up front showed that it was another knife. She kept the big one and went back to the stairs.

Up there she saw two big red boxes. One of them had a light on it and it was spinning when suddenly it stopped and sang a tune followed by a beep. The light said _COMPLETE._ "Completed what?" she questioned. Still she could see a light on inside it and the glass was warm when she touched it. It looked like there were clothes inside. There was another item a lot like it with the same glass front but it was dark.

Katherine started playing with the glass and soon found that it popped open allowing her to pull clothes out. One piece was dark blue and looked like pants though the cloth was heavy. There were a lot of tops like the one she was wearing. She pulled out some of the little white things that were kind of long with an opening on one end. She also pulled out several other items. These had her eyes opening wide since she thought she knew what these were and had her wondering if she was already wearing something just like it.

Still there was more to see so she left it all. She found two bedrooms with beds and furniture, however, between them was a really strange room. It had a white thing sitting on the floor with another white bowl balanced on a pole. The other side of the room had a white thing at the bottom with a colorful wall and a barrier that she could barely see through that slid from side to side.

She moved back to the bowl on a pole and found a silver thing on top of it with a handle. Carefully she pushed the handle which caused water to start shooting out into the bowl. She yanked the handle back to where she found it and the water stopped. "Magic," Katherine said to herself.

But what she saw in the mirror shocked her the most. She watched her mouth fall open and her eyes open wide. She started moving hands over her face and watched her do it in the mirror. "MY HAIR!" Katherine saw that instead of short, reddish hair she had semi-long brown hair that just reached her shoulders. "MY FACE!" Even to her she looked older, about 15 years or so older. The skin on her face just didn't look that young, fresh, and smooth anymore.

Also while she lifted her arms to feel her face she noticed her bare arms and flexed her arms in the mirror. _'My god! I have muscles!'_ she thought in astonishment. Katherine made her muscles show by flexing. She really did have muscles. They distracted her from her face and hair for a moment as she showed them off in the mirror.

Next she took her top off and found herself standing there in a bra that she had never seen before that day. Twisting around she found that it had a hook and eye closure on the back. It took some effort since she wasn't used to doing this but soon had the bra off and looked at her breasts and placed her hands on them. They were about the same size and didn't look like they were sagging any which made her happy.

"Just how long have I been here and why don't I remember?"

Putting the bra back on turned out to be a right pain in the ass but she did it then slipped her top back on. Behind her was a panel with a handle that opened when she pulled on it; inside she found towels and other things, none of which she could make heads or tails out of. Still the silver thing on the bowl gave her an idea so she played with the handle behind the sliding door. Suddenly water started coming out of a device above her head. The water fell down onto the floor and she watched it go down a hole at the bottom.

She reached out to touch the water that was falling and found that it was hot. Not too hot but still hot. Moving the handle again got the water to stop falling. Katherine was pretty sure what that space was for which was just left of the big white thing.

She decided to leave it and keep searching. Finally she found a large bedroom that had a lovely big bed full of color, along with furniture, and two open areas. One had clothes hanging inside it. All of it had color on it and it looked to her like they would fit her. She went over to the larger piece of furniture and started opening drawers. It was there that she found more shirts similar to what she was wearing, what was under that shirt, and what she was betting was under the pants she was wearing. She also found a lot of the items that had a large hole on one end.

Moving over to the other opening she found another room much like the one that had water in it. Except it was a little different. It was more colorful for one thing. The bowl was sitting on a top made of stone instead of on a pole and there were two of them. It also had that white thing sitting on the floor.

Katherine soon had the water in the walk-in shower working before turning it off. She also found a lot of containers that said things like _'Soft Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Antiperspirant.'_ There were also a lot of things that had color to them along with brushes, rods, tubes, and all manner of things.

She left it all behind her and went back into the closet where she found more shoes like what she was wearing only in different colors. She also found boots, a couple of which had something on the heel that made that part higher. She left those knowing she wasn't going to be wearing them any time soon, if ever.

She could take a shower, had clothes, a place to sleep, and a place to rest. She could get water to drink as well. Now she just needed food and a way out of this prison.

She went back downstairs and over to what she knew was a door. It had a handle that she turned but the door wouldn't open. "Locked." She deflated and then noticed another silver thing above the handle. So she played with it until she realized she could twist it and heard a sound. She gave the handle another try, opened the door, and got hit in the face with a blast of wind that was cold, really cold.

Still she braved it and stepped outside and found it was covered and allowed her to hold her hand out and feel the white stuff hit it. "It's cold!" She hurried back inside and closed the door then jogged to the fireplace and stood in front of it to get warm again.

The invisible barrier had something a lot like the door did so she walked over to it and did the same thing and pulled it open and got hit by cold again. "Not a barrier _or_ a prison," Katherine concluded and closed it again. She went over to the other one just like it and found that it worked the same way. After closing the door of the invisible barrier she could see a large lake that was really close. There was seating out there along with a silver something on legs. It also had a white blob next to it with a tube from it to the silver thing.

"So where am I and where is everyone?" Katherine yelled, frustrated with the situation she found herself in. What she really wanted to do was sit down and cry, till she remembered the teachings of her grandmother. Katherine felt that she still had her spells. "Maybe I'll get lucky and see an animal I can talk to and get some answers." She placed a hand on the invisible barrier and felt the cold that was outside on it. Then she felt air blowing on her from above that had her looking up and reaching up. There were several holes that looked like slots that had warm air blowing out. "Magic." She was sure of it. How else was she going to explain why this place was comfortable while it was freezing cold outside?

She decided she would change some of her spells in the morning to something more useful for her surroundings. Still it was her growling stomach that had her concerned now. She was hungry and she hadn't seen anything she could eat yet. With nothing warm to wear she couldn't go outside and hunt.

Turning around she saw another silver thing similar to the ones upstairs it was just bigger. With a little work she had the pre-rinse at the sink working. "More water to drink." So she wouldn't go thirsty and die, she just needed food.

There were knobs on all the wood so she started pulling them open. She soon had everything open including the lower ones. She stood back and took stock of everything she had found. Some of it was simple. Pots and pans, but just how was she going to use them in the fireplace? Let alone what was she going to put in them? What was to the left of the two large silver panels showed some promise, she just didn't understand the words. She could read the words but didn't know what they meant.

She saw another silver panel only smaller next to the water dispenser along with one that had another invisible barrier in it. Behind that one she could see wine bottles. It had what looked like a handle so she pulled and found that it was cool on the inside. She pulled out a bottle and looked at it. The words meant nothing and it had a cork in it. She searched everywhere till she found the corkscrew and with a little work she had it open then took a glass down and poured some into it.

It was red in color and she gave it a hesitant taste test then chugged it all down and refilled her glass. She left the bottle on the counter and moved over to the invisible barrier and watched the white stuff fall down.

The wine was nice, really, really nice. Better than she had ever had in her life as a matter of fact. Still it wasn't food. She drank her wine down and went over to the two large silver panels. They had handles and something in the door that had writing on it.

' _WATER, ICE, CRUSHED ICE.'_ It also had number on it that kept changing as she watched. Right now it had a _1_ and a _23_ with something blinking and a really small _pm_ next to the _23_. Still she resolved herself and pulled. It was really cold inside and she found lots and lots of white packets inside that had writing on them: _'Ground Round, T-Bone, New York, Sirloin, Thighs, Legs, Breasts, Pork Chop, Bacon, Pork Shoulder, Sausage.'_ Those were just the ones she saw immediately. There were also containers that were orange in color and other containers that said ' _Breyers_ _Real Strawberry, Chocolate Chip, Napoleon, Tin Roof.'_ There were three of the _Real Strawberry_ and only one each of the others.

The word _Breasts_ intrigued her so she took it out and placed it on the wood countertop and closed the door then pulled the other one open. This one was also cold inside, just not as cold. It was full of things, too. She recognized eggs right off, something in a clear container that was orange inside it. Another one that had something white inside it that she recognized as being milk.

There were a lot of things that had names on them that meant nothing to her. She closed it again after having seen enough. Next she opened what said _Breasts_ on it.

What was inside was as hard as a rock and had a soft, creamy, pale pink color to it and there were two of them locked together. Still she recognized the look of them. It was chicken! That had her smiling wondering what the other words meant. Now she just had to figure out what to do with them.

Katherine pulled out a pan and placed it on the smooth black surface and decided maybe a flatter pan would be better so she knelt down to get one. When she came back up the space below her pan was glowing. She pulled the pan off and it instantly went away. Putting it back on made it glow again. She gave it a moment and pulled the pan off making the glow go away. Then she tested the black surface quickly and found it just as cold as ever, however the bottom on her pan was warm. "Magic." She started smiling.


	10. Chapter 10

**K and K 10**

"I'm Katherine, honest. My given name is Katherine Houghton Beckett, so I'm not lying," Kate said insisted as she told him the truth. Rick, however, continued to glare at her not looking convinced at all. "So if I'm not Katherine who am I?" Kate decided to challenge him.

"If you're Katherine, how old are you?" Rick asked her. His question had her opening her mouth only to close it just as quickly. She was 37 but was she really? She had noticed that she didn't have the same strength or stamina that she used to have. Combat with the wererat man had shown her that. "Never ask a woman how old she is Rick. It brings bad luck," she countered and turned away from his blue eyes with great difficultly. "And you're avoiding the question," he pointed out.

"Well, if I'm not Katherine, who do you think I am? Maybe I'm a wererat and should drink from the chalice," Kate snapped still avoiding his question. "So answer me a question. When you look at me, what do you see?" Rick decided to test her. She turned her head quickly to look at him. The problem was all she saw was his blue eyes. "I see...I see blue. Blue as wide as the biggest lake there is." Kate bit her lip and cursed her lack of control. What was it about this man?

"What's the name of your animal companion?" Rick questioned her while she was still staring at his blue eyes. _'Animal Companion? What was an animal companion? He means the dog doesn't he?'_ She looked down at the dog that was still, after all this time, right by her side. He was unquestioningly loyal, trotting along right next to her.

She had spent years alone with no real friends. Taking jobs that caused her to kill people and she didn't have a problem with that. She had money and toys galore, everything she ever wanted. Three homes, the only Porsche 918 Spyder in all of Kansas City. "Which is actually a weakness," Kate whispered. All anyone had to do to find her was find her car. "Shit!" She snapped her head to look at Rick again who was staring at her like she had lost her mind. "I was...I was..." She had to get off this topic fast!

She did the only thing she could think of since they were walking their horses, she grabbed him and kissed him then pressed her tongue into his mouth and searched it. Kate lost track of all time and space. All there was was his lips and his taste. She broke from the kiss because she needed air and opened her eyes only to see blue, which had her kissing him again, forcing her lips all over his. She pressed her lips into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight to her. However she kept moving her arms in an attempt to feel more of him. She wanted to kiss him and feel him kiss her. It was her first real kiss in years. It even had her blood going south as she felt heat building up for him.

Kate broke from the kiss again. "And my name is Kate just so you know." She turned to watch where they were going and lifted her head. But Rick was barely walking as he stared at her. He swallowed hard which only slightly helped clear his head.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine had managed to cook her chicken breasts even though they were a little dry and she might have burnt one side maybe just a bit. "It's magic, why won't it cook right?" She dropped it and gave up eating. "I'm going to starve to death at this rate."

There had to be something. She went back to the pantry looking at everything in it. She pulled out something that looked like and said _'Green Beans.'_ Now she just had to figure out how to get into the damn thing.

She was ruining the knife she just knew it, but she almost had the can open enough to pour out the contents. It took a while but she poured the contents out into a pot, placed it on the shiny black rectangle, and watched it light up and heat up.

She placed the knife on the countertop, tossed the can into the sink, and waited. When she saw the water bubbling she picked the pot up and set it on the counter until she heard something bad. She lifted it back up again and saw a mark on the wood. "DAMN!"

Now she was spinning in place looking for something until she saw something then placed it on the counter and put the pan on it. She waited a minute and reached in to take out a single green bean. " _ **OW!**_ HOT, HOT, HOT!" And she stuck her fingers in her mouth. Then she had an idea and took one of the weird looking forks from one of the open drawers, stabbed several, and tried eating that way.

It only took her a minute to empty the pot; she felt a whole lot better. Then she stared at all the cans in the pantry and opened the freezer again. "There has to be a better way. Where's Rick when you need him?" She just knew he could tell her how these magical devices worked.

"Wait! I know I saw something. But where?" Katherine started searching all of the cabinets again until she found it. _What to Cook and How to Cook It._ Kate took her book into the living room, threw a piece of wood on the fire, and sat down to read. The book was eye opening as she read it. It talked and had pictures of how to do everything. Once she was done she went back into the kitchen and searched for everything the book talked about.

She found spices in little jars, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a whole stack of bowls. She even found the hand mixer but it didn't work when she pressed the button. So she placed the book on the counter and looked at the picture where she saw the cord from the mixer going into the wall. She looked at her wall till she saw that the prongs fit into the holes perfectly. Pressing the button this time had the thing spinning and making noise while she stared at it like it was possessed. It _had_ to be magic, just no magic like she had ever heard about.

Still hungry, she pulled something marked _'Thighs'_ out of the freezer and while holding the book up placed it in the microwave and pressed the buttons it talked about. A light came on and made a noise until it finished then went DING. ' _Food is ready'_ read the box.

There were two of them; they were now both soft and somewhat soggy instead of as hard as a rock. Thirty minutes later she had the chicken along with slices of an onion and pieces of a tomato that she got out of a can (after she found the handheld can opener like shown in the book), followed by sprinkling something called _'Rosemary'_ on it. She placed it in a pan that had oil in it and watched it cook.

Then following the book she put water into a pan and watched it boil then put the spaghetti into the boiling water and waited. She found the strainer for the spaghetti and put the pan in the sink _._ She placed her cooked chicken with tomatoes and onion on top and ate it while standing in the kitchen.

Now that she was feeling adventurous she picked up the other book where she found this one, _'Weight Watcher's One Pot Cook Book.'_ What was written inside gave her all kinds of ideas. She smiled. This was so much better. Now full, she filled another glass with more wine, placed the empty bottle into the sink, started walking around the house looking everywhere this time, and opened everything she found.

That was how she found some heavy coats. So she put one on and went out the wooden door closing it behind her then started walking around. It wasn't until her feet were freezing that she went back inside and hung up the coat where she found it. She sat on the floor and thawed her frozen feet in front of the fire. As she sat on there, she looked at all the books on the shelves on either side of the fireplace. Piers Anthony had a lot of books as did someone called Isaac Asimov. As soon as her feet were warm she pulled down one of the Piers Anthony books and looked at the cover.

 _ **A Spell for Chameleon**_ _. The book's young hero, Bink, is without magical powers in a world ruled entirely by magic. Worse still, if he doesn't discover his own magical talent soon, he will be forever banished from his homeland._

The words on the back cover had Katherine smiling since she just _knew_ this place had to have magic and someone had even written about it! It wasn't until she could barely keep her eyes open that she put her book down after saving her place. She went upstairs,stripped, and got into the biggest bed she could find. Seconds later she was asleep.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The group set up camp and lit a fire, enjoying the quiet time. "So Kate Houghton Beckett, who are you and how did you get here?" Rick had left her alone for the rest of the day, plus it took him some time to recover from that kiss. "Why do you need to know so badly? Can't you just accept me?" Kate questioned knowing that it was likely important to them. "Because when, and not if, we get into another combat situation we need to know what you're capable of. These three have already seen you in combat and based on what they've told me, you're different. The fight in the cheese factory showed us that," Rick told her while the other three simply switched between looking at the two of them.

"Promise you won't just leave me behind and dump me?" Suddenly Kate had the need to not be alone anymore. She didn't know when that had happened but it had. She actually liked these four and was still coming to terms to being with these people.

"My given name is Katherine Houghton Beckett; it truly is. I was born in 1979 and I'm 37 years old. My parents were Jim and Johanna Beckett and I was born in New York City in the State of New York located in the United States of America," Kate said, giving them everything at once.

"Girl, there's no way you're 37 years old," Lanie told her and handed her the tiny mirror that she had. Lanie let pass the rest of what she said for the moment. Kate looked at herself and knew that her mouth fell open, especially since she could see it. She could see her hair was shorter normal was plus it was reddish in color. She hadn't looked like this in years.

"What's New York?" Javi asked since he had never heard of the place. "And where is this United whatever you said?"

Kate, however, was still looking at her face. She was young again, somewhere around 12 to 15 years younger. "I don't…I don't understand. I know who I am, I just don't understand _where_ I am."

"So you're not a Druid, but you were a Druid?" Kevin was trying to make sense of this.

"Druids, wizards, and clerics are all just fantasy characters in my world and real magic does _NOT_ exist. There are illusionists, sure...people who can pull coins out of kids ears kind of illusions, not real magic like Rick did."

"In my world I'm what you would call a thief/assassin. People contact me to steal things and sell it to them or I'm hired to kill someone in exchange for money. It's made me rich where I'm from," Kate explained. "And you're from where?" Rick inquired not knowing anything about the place she had talked about. She got down on the ground, grabbed a stick, and started drawing.

"This is the United States of America and New York City, where I was born, is located here." And she put her stick about where it was located. "However, at the moment I live in Kansas City which is located here." Kate moved her stick.

"I hate to break it to you, whomever you are, but our world doesn't look like that," Javi pointed out as he scrubbed her world away and drew roughly what he knew leaving a large section that he didn't know about. "We're about here, just the other side of this mountain range," Javi said as he poked his stick in the ground.

"I don't understand any of this. You people are capable of doing things, really doing things I've only ever read in my fantasy books at home," Kate admitted. Telling them any of this felt weird to her since she didn't work with or trust anyone.

"What do you remember?" Rick asked because he was interested.

"I had moved to one of my vacation homes located in Canada which is a country to the north of the States. It was almost winter at the time and the snow had just started falling. It's very isolated and there isn't anyone within miles. You can only get there by sea plane," Kate began explaining. "Sea plane?" Kevin didn't understand the term getting the others to nod in agreement. "A sea plane is a plane that can take off and land on the water," Kate tried explaining simply and saw 4 blank faces. Trying again she said, "A plane is a man-made device that flies and can carry either a few people or over a hundred people depending on the size of the plane."

"Any way I was in the dining room looking at all of the things I had recently…acquired and was examining them. One was a really old gun..." Kate stopped when the word "gun" got her more blank faces. "A gun is a man-made device that fires a projectile at tremendous speed. It's used to kill people or animals. Handheld guns or longer rifles if you want to shoot at long distance," Kate explained.

"There were also some really old Indian gold coins as well as a paper that was a deed to something located in Italy. Italy is another country like the United States but much smaller. Anyway, it was really old and was deteriorating. There was also one other item. Then the sun hit the lake, I was blinded and I was here," she said simply.

"Rick?" Lanie turned to him as did the other two. He blinked while he tried to think this through. "You recognize yourself but as a younger you?" he asked and watched Kate nod. "You can't do magic but you can handle yourself in combat," Again Kate nodded.

"I'm an expert in two different types of hand-to-hand combat except my younger self, this body, isn't in the same fighting readiness that I'm used to. That one little combat actually got me a little tired," Kate admitted. She knew that that little combat shouldn't have any more difficult than walking down the block on a sidewalk.

"You were looking at something and then found yourself here. What else were you doing? Or maybe not doing, but thinking?" Rick knew a lot of magical devices worked off of what you said or what you were thinking at the time.

"I was just standing at the table looking everything over," Kate commented. Rick shook his head. "What else? What were you thinking at the time, what was happening in your life? Were you stressed or surprised over anything?" Rick fired question after question at her. She started to shake her head when she stopped. She thought of something. The problem was Rick had spotted it. "What was it?" he asked her. "It's nothing," she remarked trying to keep it secret.

"Magic works with command words or actions or even thoughts. You've seen me cast a spell. It takes words and certain actions to make it work. Why are the leaves you're wearing equal to Lanie's plate? Why is your backpack bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? That ring you found kept those dolls pressing cheese from attacking. So tell us," Rick demanded.

"We're not the enemy here, honey. You fought with us and took risks with us," Lanie pointed out. Kate sighed heavily. What they were asking was very personal.

"I had taken a job to steal a vase that was worth $20,000,000. I got it while killing everyone in the house doing it. I've killed before but it hadn't affected me the way killing these people did. It was giving me nightmares," Kate admitted and bit her lower lip wondering what these people would think of murder.

Except none of them blinked an eye. "Have you had nightmares before?" Rick finally asked. "When I was younger, but not for years," Kate replied. "Did you have all those items already before you killed them?" Rick questioned her. His inquiry had Kate thinking. She had stolen the items on her dining room table while she got the address for the vase. "Yes, why? Is it important?" she wondered.

Rick was silent while he thought about it and tried to remember everything he had ever read. "What are you thinking?" Lanie asked him. He drew in a breath and let it out. "I'm thinking one of those items is magical, maybe an artifact. From what I've read some artifacts have an intelligence in them. A life trapped within the item itself. It didn't like killing so it made you pay for your actions by giving you nightmares," Rick explained.

"We had a Katherine already," Lanie pointed out. "A 37-year-old Katherine and a 20 something Katherine. For a reason I don't understand, I'm thinking you two exchanged places, or more accurately exchanged bodies." Rick was guessing since he was missing some key piece of information to help explain it.

"So I'm here and your Kate is where I was? …Oh, boy. She might be in trouble. My world is so very different than this world. I have electricity, glass walls, snow everywhere. I was all alone and planned to be alone for at least another 3 or maybe 4 months," Kate said, suddenly worried for her. Going back in time was easy for her but taking someone from here hundreds of years into the future?

It was really weird to be thinking about herself as being someone else in her home in Canada who knew nothing about living a modern life. And just when did she start caring for people?

"What?" Rick asked as he saw something on her face. Kate shook her head. "Just a stray thought is all," she lied.

"So now what?" Lanie questioned. "We've got two Katherines, one who's a Druid and one who's more Monk by the sounds of it. I don't know much about Monks but I don't think they wear armor or use swords."

"It does feel restrictive and tight," Kate was forced to admit. "And I have no idea what to do with this weapon." She pulled it out and looked at it. She had to admit that it was a beautiful weapon but she just didn't know what to do with it. Certainly not like Javi used his.

"For now I would suggest that you take the armor off and store it in your backpack. As for the sword, just carry it with you and we'll think of something at the first town or city we reach, find you something you can use. Can you fight with an item and not just fight with your hands and feet?" Rick inquired and watched Kate nod. She knew that she could use a number of items including throwing items.

"Don't take this wrong, but what about the other Katherine? Is she stuck there and this Katherine here?" Kevin questioned. That had Kate wondering if she would suddenly find herself back home.

"If it's a magical item like I'm thinking and this Kate had it at home, that means our Katherine now has it. If she finds it and finds a way to activate it..." Rick trailed off since they could trade places again instantly.

Kate suddenly felt a chill come over her. She was learning to like it here. It was a life that she didn't have. She had friends here who didn't bat an eye and throw her out after they found out about her. And as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't want to lose Rick.


	11. Chapter 11

**K and K 11**

It had been two weeks now; Katherine had been keeping track and so far things were going relatively well she thought. She had cooking down and was eating rather well. It had taken some work but she had figured out the washer and dryer so she had clean clothes. She was washing the things she used to cook with by hand.

It wasn't until she really, really had to go that she tried figuring out that white thing. The top came off and it had water inside it. Lifting the lower cover showed that there was yet another layer to lift up. There was a small amount of water inside it. Next she found two silver buttons on top.

She had worked out that silver handles opened doors so what would a silver button do? She couldn't lift it so she pushed it and saw water swirling with a rushing sound followed by a gurgling sound then water running for a few seconds followed by silence.

By then she really had to go and didn't have time to put on something warm so she sat down and almost fell into the bowl. Lowering one of the layers prevented that. Once she was done she left it only to come back seconds later. "Magic" around here only seemed to work if she did something so she pressed the button and everything swirled away.

The trash had started to pile up; she didn't know what to do with it until she found a box of white bags. They were like the one that already had trash in it so she started using them to put the trash in then placed them outside in the cold. She had even dressed up warmly and went outside to look around and had stayed out there for hours on a number of days.

She now had a good feeling for where she was exactly. The only problem was she hadn't as yet seen any animals that she could cast her _Speak with Animals_ spell on with which to ask questions.

She had also read 9 of Piers Anthony's Xanthseries books and was completely hooked and dying to start the next book.

There were still a few things that escaped her. She had no idea what the black thing above the fireplace was. Several of the magical devices had these cords that were connected to the wall and this item didn't have one of those. She had found several round disks that were colorful on one side and mirror-like on the other. However, there didn't seem to be any purpose to them so she disregarded them.

She was in love with hot showers and had gotten into the habit of taking really long hot showers, her finger tips all puckered by the time she left the shower. The hot water never seemed to run out. It was never cold inside unlike outside.

The white stuff had finally stopped falling but it was relatively thick on the ground causing her to trudge through the stuff on her trips outside. She also found another building that had some strange items inside it. Both of them escaped her as to what their purpose was.

She had run out of milk and there didn't seem to be any more. She still had plenty of frozen orange juice and lots of wine; she drank half a bottle's worth daily. She was still amazed at just how good the wine really was. She was standing in the kitchen eating out of the pan that held one of her one pot meals she had read about in her book. She was learning what salt, pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and countless other spices were and was fast learning to like her food with spices in them.

This one was called _Vale of the Vole_. When Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing in the wrathful wake of a greedy demon horde. Now it is up to Esk and his companions-a beautiful winged centaur named Chex and a brave burrower Called Volney-to search Xanth's treacherous reaches, gathering together a mind-boggling company of creatures to defend the precious _Vale of the Vole._

Katherine woke up much later and found herself sleeping on the sectional in the living room with her book lying on the floor, her wine glass empty, darkness still cloaking the skies. She was lonely! There was no one to talk to, no one to spend time with. As much as she loved reading these books it just wasn't the same as having another person around. "I should have kissed him. Now I'm never going to see him again," she mourned. Katherine left her book on the floor and shuffled up the stairs. She stripped, threw her clothes into a corner and slid into bed. She missed her new friends, missed Dapper, missed Rick; her heart heavy, she cried herself to sleep. Maybe she was right the first time. It was a prison after all.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Another 2 weeks had passed and Katherine was becoming very depressed. All there was to her life was eating (eating well she had to admit, not to mention the really good wine she was drinking) and reading. She was actually pulling down book number 15 of the Xanthseries.

 _ **The Color of Her Panties**_

 _We See Mels's UnderpanthIn fact, Gwenny Goblin, Che Centaur and Jenny Elf are just about the only creatures on Xanth who have been spared the sight of Mela Merwoman's undergarment - preoccupied as they are with helping Gwenny beat out her awful half-brother Gobble for chiefship of the goblin horde. But first they must master space and thyme . . . and find the fabulous egg that sits between the Roc and the hard place. While Mela - who would gladly relinquish her oft-viewed undies for a new husband - joins the Adult Conspiracy . . . and quickly discovers the power of a perfect pair of panties!_

To Katherine it actually sounded interesting. "The color of my panties have power!?" It had her smiling at the future possibilities for her life. IF, and it was a really big IF, she could get out of this prison! Actually she had learned a lot reading these books. They were both eye opening and entertaining and she loved being lost inside the world that was in these books. It didn't hurt that it helped her forget her present life which was wretchedly lonely.

Katherine dropped her book on the sectional and went looking for another bottle of wine to open. She had found several in the pantry and had transferred some to the wine cooler since she was emptying it rather quickly.

She would get all bundled up and go for walks in the white stuff that had actually started falling again. She saw a number of birds but they were never that close to her. She saw tracks of an animal and deduced that it was a rabbit but nothing bigger.

She would undress and be dressed like her first day here, sitting in front of the fire not yet worried about running out of wood. She had worried about running out so she only had a fire at night, but on one of her trips out to the separate building she had discovered cord after cord of cut wood hidden under a large blue cloth. All she had to do was to transfer some from there into the house.

She poured out a big glass, took a drink, then refilled it before putting the bottle into the refrigerator. She stared through the invisible barrier and watched the white stuff fall from the sky. She had already inspected the lake and found the edge was becoming hard. She had also found the dock and the stairs down to it. Down there she realized that the lake really was big. She didn't see anyone, not even another building like hers though the white stuff had limited her range of vision. It was peaceful and quiet. Just a little too damn quiet.

Katherine got all bundled up again for another long walk outside. She had been amazed at just what shape her body was in. She was walking pretty far as far as she could tell and yet when she came back she was barely winded. She just knew that normally it should have left her breathless.

She took a different path this time and just kept walking while the white stuff continued falling. She was walking, looking the place over when a glint of sunlight caught her attention. Looking up she saw what she was sure was a dragon. It was really high up in the air, leaving a trail of clouds. It even had wings sticking far out to each side of the body. Dragons were monsters, not animals, and besides it was way too far away to talk to.

Katherine stomped her feet at the entrance to knock the white stuff off her boots, stepped inside, then put her coat away and headed for the fireplace. Another long and lonely day with nothing to show for it.

While her book was calling out to her she went past it and took down another glass. She poured out some wine and noticed that she hadn't turned on the magical cleaning machine. She had found dirty dishes inside it along with a number of words on the outside. Her first clue was a box she found that said "dishwasher detergent." They were dishes and they needed to be washed so she started pressing buttons until it started making noise. She had been putting a colored pod inside it and using it ever since. It was the weirdest prison she had ever heard of.

Katherine was getting desperate. She was beginning to think about making her own backpack, bundling up for the cold, and walking until she couldn't anymore. If she died, she died. At least she wouldn't be in a prison anymore. It had taken her a few days but she was happy with what she had constructed and had started to fill it with what she wanted to take with her. It left her with just one thing to decide; she was standing in front of the big table where she first remembered being in this hell.

She recognized the gold coins as money so she gathered them up and put them in her bag even if they did add weight she would have to carry. But if she made it somewhere she would need it. The piece of paper meant nothing to her and what was written on it wasn't in a language that she understood. Next was the big thing. She really didn't have space for it and she was taking several knives with her, still she looked it over for the first time since being here.

It was heavy and hard to control. Still the little things looked like they would fit into the holes nicely except there weren't enough of them to fill all the holes. "I don't have the space and can't justify the weight." Katherine put it back down on the table hoping that she didn't need it. She wondered if there was a secret key inside her prison that would set her free.

Katherine left it on the table and looked at the last item. She picked it up to look at it. It didn't look helpful and would take up space and add weight. She decided to think about it in the morning when the sun came up. Right now the sun was setting; as she put it on the table the sun hit it and blinded her for a moment.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They were still walking their horses as they emerged from the mountains. "A storm is coming," Javi warned as he saw the wind and could feel the change in the air. The lightning flash confirmed it.

"DAPPER!" Katherine rushed him and hugged him for all she was worth. She began crying from the emotions that flooded over her. "I've missed you so much," Katherine spoke in a cracked voice filled with tears. The others came to a standstill and watched, shocked at her sudden outburst. Then they saw her turn her head and look at all of them. Then her eyes landed on Rick. She was up in an instant and rushed over to him, kissing him soundly, as hard as she could. She had been aching to kiss him. She had been given a second chance and wasn't going to pass it up. Katherine finally broke from the kiss to see his shocked face. "Hi," she spoke a little shyly while still holding onto him.

"Katherine?" Rick asked his question softly, hesitantly. She couldn't believe it, she was out of her prison! So she kissed him again till Javi spoke up. "If you two are done we still need to find cover from the storm," he said rather brusquely. Katherine stepped back from Rick, a blush blooming on her face. She looked up. It was a storm alright and it was almost on top of them. They only had minutes before they were soaked.

"There are likely no caves near here. If we head up the path, maybe we can find a large enough overhang," Katherine offered as she called for Dapper and started up the narrow path on the side of the mountain.It was actually treacherous ground which only got worse when the clouds finally came over the mountain and all but eliminated their view. They could only see a few feet in front of them. "Keep your back up against the mountain and only shuffle your feet. Do not, for any reason, try and take a step," Katherine warned based on her experience at chasing goats that thought they were mountain goats before her family was killed.

Katherine was doing fine when suddenly she could see more clearly and found she was facing a pair of massive doors. Each was 20 feet wide and easily 60 feet tall with a wall of stone on either side. As she looked she could see a pair of towers on either besides the doors, it was the 15 foot tall metal men standing to either side of the doors that had her undivided attention. Each was dressed in armor much like Lanie was wearing, plus their swords were huge and chest high. "Where did that come from?" Lanie asked as she reached Katherine who had stopped only to watch her shake her head. "It just suddenly showed up." Katherine kept looking at all of it and found that the clouds obscured everything else.

There was a small step that was maybe 5 feet deep in front of the doors with a length equal to the doors themselves. "Where are you going?" Lanie demanded as she took hold of Katherine's arm and stopped her. "Over there," Katherine gestured and took the step over the gap that was between the two. It didn't take much imagination to know that if she misstepped or if the doors suddenly opened outwards it was a long drop. "Come on Lanie, there's room," Katherine said as she waved her over.

It wasn't until Kevin and Rick caught up with Javi right behind them that Katherine raised a hand and simply knocked. "What do you think you're doing?" Lanie was shocked. "This door, walls, and towers are floating above the ground with nothing under them. I want to see who can do that. It they wanted us dead these doors would already be open with someone exiting to do just that," Katherine countered.

One of the doors did open and all of them saw a human-looking person. Lanie thought he was handsome though his skin was milky white with hints of blue and his long hair that flowed down his back was silver in color. Like the statues on either side of the door, he was dressed in armor and had a massive weapon.

"Enter." His voice was soft and sweet. Neither Lanie nor Katherine noticed just how willing they were to do as they were told. Kevin and Rick however sucked in a breath and bit their tongues to keep from calling out. Then the other door opened in and another tall man who looked like his twin stood there. "Enter," he beckoned and Kevin, Rick, and Javi found themselves stepping inside as they all watched the door close.

The room inside was wide but shallow at just 30 feet deep with another set of identical doors in front of them. To each side they saw a single door 20 feet wide and 60 feet tall. The ceiling itself was easily 100 feet high. It was otherwise simple and nondescript in appearance.

There was, however, another man inside who looked like he could be this man's twin. "Follow me," the first one told them as they watched these new doors open softly and silently without him even touching them.

Just twenty feet past the doors they saw a set of stone steps that were 40 feet wide with no hand rails or walls on either side. What was on either side were clouds.

Their guide easily strode up the stairs though they were forced to almost climb each step due to its height. Rick was next to Katherine as they helped each other up every step. "Any guesses?" Katherine asked him. Rick shook his head. "No idea," he was forced to admit. He had not ever read anything remotely about this.

"You're Katherine, the Druid Katherine," Rick questioned her, doubting. "Have I been gone so long that you don't know who I am? And what would I be if not a Druid?" Katherine countered. "We need to talk when we have time," he told her as they proceeded to help each other and the others up the stairs.

All of them were completely winded by the time they finally caught up to their guide who was just standing there waiting for them. "There better not be more stairs on the other side of this door," Katherine complained, panting. She, like the others, was bent over trying desperately to catch her breath.

In front of them was another massive single door that was in a tower which reached up into the clouds and disappeared. Once again the door seemed to just open without him touching it. "Come," he simply told them as he stepped inside and started up yet another set of stairs. "Oh crap!" Katherine looked inside at the stairs that he climbed easily. This time the steps were just as tall and curved around the edge of the tower.

Up one level they found a door that was identical to all the other doors. Since they were all winded they stopped for a moment. Rick ran his hand over the door. "It's metal of some kind," he informed them. The door and even the floor and walls were unremarkable save that the door had a silver-ish color with a hint of blue. There was no obvious way to open it, much like the other doors thus far.

Three levels later after seeing a door on each level they caught up to their guide once more. He walked through another door that had silently opened for him. Up a few more steps and through the door, they all stopped dead in their tracks. Before them was a huge courtyard that had several lush fruit trees of various varieties that grew in orderly rows, sinking their roots into what certainly looked like real soil. Flowers were sprinkled among the foliage complementing the buds starting to swell on the trees. A tidy path wound gently between the rows of trees and flowers, formed of smooth white flagstones. The occasional flash of lightning in the distance and rumble of thunder was the only thing that rocked the ground and made the trees sway.

There was a ring of columns in the middle that were easily 160 feet tall with a path wrapping around the outside of them. To the right was a lovely stone building with a set of white stone stairs leading up to a balcony that had 3 doors. Far across from them was a massive tower easily 80 feet wide and reached up into the clouds that hid how tall it really was. "Wait here," their guide told them as he easily and quickly strode across to the far side and entered the far tower.

Slowly they made their way across to the circle of columns. What they found was a hole in the ground that was easily 200 feet across, filled with clouds. Lightning flashed from one side to the other and lit up the area so that they could see the land thousands of feet below them. The silence was shattered by the roll of thunder.

Two more paths lead to seating areas that had benches too tall for them to sit on easily; each seating area had a pool of cool clean water. Katherine dipped in a hand and taste tested it followed by drinking a two handed scoop of the water. "It's good," Katherine smiled, not knowing that any scars, wounds or diseases she may have had were now gone.

The doors opening in the massive tower got their attention. Who came out was their guide with two more people much like him. One was male and wore simple clothes though they were beautifully decorated. He was also wearing a crown encrusted with precious stones. Next to him was a female almost just as tall who was simply gorgeous, even to Katherine and Lanie. She was wearing armor and carrying a massive sword that hung on her belt in a scabbard and had a cape that billowed behind her as she walked.

"Welcome. I am Yani and this is my daughter Guri. I am the Storm Lord of the mountains and I have decided to move my home here to the top of this mountain. However, I require someone to escort my daughter into town. She will act on my behalf, make decisions for me as an ambassador to the town, and act as liaison between us. I would ask that you be her escort into town and see that nothing happens to her before she gets there," Yani asked them.

"You couldn't send men of your own kind with her to act as guards?" Rick questioned. "I could, but I am not here to conquer the town though I could level it if I so chose. If I send guards, the town is most likely to attack and not bother to ask questions first."

"If it will persuade you to do this task, I will gladly pay you what you wish within reason. I am sure you are weary and want to talk with each other. Yagi here will escort you to the building," Yani motioned to the white building off to one side, "where you may rest and sleep. Please go anywhere in this area that you wish. I will arrange for food and water to be brought for you. I will expect your answer in the morning. You are perfectly safe here while I rule," Yani told them and started to leave with his daughter.

"May I ask what you are? I've never seen or read anything about you," Rick questioned him before he got far. "We are Cloud Giants and we travel the skies in our home and kingdom wherever and whenever we wish," he replied and walked away.

Rick took the hint. Yani was in charge and would do whatever he pleased secure in the knowledge that no one could stop him.


	12. Chapter 12

**K and K 12**

"What do you know about Cloud Giants?" Katherine asked looking at Rick knowing that he had read a lot of books and scrolls. "Uh-Uh, you first. Where have you been and who are you really?" Rick challenged her as Katherine looked at him and then at the others who appeared to want to hear her answer too.

"I'm Katherine Houghton Beckett who had her entire family and the villagers I grew up with slaughtered by Orcs. I'm a Druid just like my precious grandmother taught me to be. Now what the hell is going on? I've spent the last few weeks in hell, trapped in a prison with no way out," Katherine said angrily.

Rick, Kevin, Javi, and Lanie spent time explaining everything that had happened since the last time Katherine remembered being with them right up until a Cloud Giant, who could be the same one or a different one, they had no way of knowing, showed up with food and drink.

After the Cloud Giant was gone Javi practically exploded with a very loud "WOW!" He was very impressed. "This is goat, this is turkey...likely wild turkey, this is possum, and this is chicken," Javi said as he pointed them all out followed by Katherine telling everyone what fruits were on the platter along with vegetables.

Katherine picked up the pitcher and began pouring, finding that it was wine. She did a taste test and quickly drained her mug dry before refilling it. "This is good." It reminded her of the wine she had been drinking in her prison. She told them about her last few weeks while they ate till they were full. "It does sound like a prison but it was really her, I mean your house. I mean her house," Rick floundered.

"Kate said she was at the dining room table looking at what she had stolen when there was a flash that blinded her and she found herself here with us. What do you last remember?" Rick asked her.

"It was cold outside; there was this white stuff falling and was already rather deep. I had decided to make my own backpack, fill it with what I wanted to take with me, and walk out or die trying. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to take of the things spread out on this big table. I took the gold coins and put them in my backpack then started looking at the other things. One was a piece of paper encased in something hard. Another was large, heavy and unwieldy due to its off balance weight. There were these little things that could fit in the many holes that was part of it. The final item was...You know, I'm not really sure. There was a flash and I was here," Katherine explained.

"That must be the artifact that transfers the two of you. Kate said she was a thief/assassin who stole items and sold them to others or killed for money. She had decided to spend a few months isolated in one of her 3 homes," Rick told her.

"She had skill, just in hand to hand combat. You should have seen what she did to that wererat," Javi told her sounding impressed. "Wererat?" Katherine had never heard the term and listened to Rick explain what a wererat was. "That was a home and she wanted to be alone for several months?" Katherine was flabbergasted. Why would anyone want to be so alone for months?

"That reminds me, there were a lot of books there. I read a number of them. They were all written by one person. A Piss Anthony, Purse Anthony, Peas Anthony..." Katherine shook her head upset with herself that she couldn't get his name right. "Anyway it was about magic in an area called Xanth. It was amazing! I read 14 of them and that was only half of how many that there were. I wish I could have brought them with me, you would have loved them too." Katherine looked right at Rick and reached out to place her hand over his. "I'll try and tell you all about them, not that I'll remember them word for word."

That was when she looked at her arm followed by looking down on herself. "WHERE IS MY ARMOR?" Katherine shrieked. "Kate fought more like a Monk and found your armor constricting. She took it off and put it in your backpack," Lanie informed her, which got Katherine to look and calm down when she pulled part of it out before putting it back in. They couldn't sleep in armor so they always took it off at night to get some sleep. Since they were sleeping here she decided she might as well leave it off for now.

"What do we do about his offer?" Kevin got them back on track about what had happened. "Say no to a Cloud Giant who can make a home and live up here in the clouds in a place like this?" Rick didn't think they had a choice.

"So if the answer is yes, what do we ask for as payment to do this?" Lanie questioned. "I suppose that depends on if we want a group item or individual items that includes money," Rick remarked. All of them were silent. The wine was gone - Katherine had drunk most of it - by the time they decided that they would ask individually. And since they didn't know the exact items to ask for they would have to ask in a vague manner and hope they got what they wanted unless they asked for gold, platinum, or gems.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They were all up in the morning after going back outside; they wandered around and looked at everything. It was the flashes of lightning in the 200 foot center that had their attention. They had also found three other smaller towers along the edge. The space itself was walled in preventing them from leaving unless they wanted to jump to their deaths provided they didn't get electrocuted first.

Yani and Guri, along with another or perhaps the same guard, showed up while they were wandering around looking the place over and drinking from the fountain. "Have you decided?" Yani asked them after they gathered together. "We have and we accept your offer provided that you can meet our individual prices," Rick told him. "Excellent! If I have it or can get it quickly it is yours. Name your price." Yani waited for each of them to tell him what they wanted.

Rick went first, asking for "a method that will permanently increase my intelligence to help with my Wizard spell casting." He had thought of asking for a number of spells to add to his book, but decided against it; he would just collect them later. "Accepted, you will, however, need to spend 30 consecutive days reading it before you gain the benefit," Yani warned him and instructed his daughter what to get and where the _**Tome of Clear Thought**_ was located.

Lanie went next. "I want a weapon dedicated to my god Pelor," she simply stated and hoped for the best. Yani paused for a while which Lanie took to not be good for her. "I know of no one here that worships that goddess nor have I had any involvement with her. Allow me to think of something else for you." He leaned over and whispered to his daughter who nodded and left only to return in just moments. "Perhaps this will work instead," he suggested. The **Staff of Life** was made of oak with an occasional gold ornament repeated down its entire length. It could heal a person of every damage or disease a person had as well as a _Raise Dead_ spell: Bring a person back to life though the person would not be completely fit. "The staff only has 25 charges; once you use them up the staff is worthless," Yani advised her.

Kevin was third and he said, "I want to be invisible when I want to be for as long as I can." He wanted to be sneaky and avoid getting pounded into the ground by someone too big for him fight. "Accepted!" Yani whispered to his daughter what to get this time and where it was. A **Ring of Invisibility:** Invisibility would occur when the command word was used. The wearer of the Ring would remain invisible until an attack was made even if wearer missed for whatever reason.

Javi went next and told him, "I want to be faster. Faster in my attacks, faster in my running. Faster." Javi was self-conscious about his size. He already knew how to fight with a weapon in each hand. While everyone else could only swing once, he could swing twice. Now he wanted to do it at least once more. "Accepted." Once again Yani told his daughter what it was and where to find it. She brought back a pair of **Boots of** **S** **peed:** He could now swing one more time, his running speed was increased by 1-1/2 times his normal speed. His speed decreased an enemy's ability to hit him.

Katherine was fifth and last. "I...I don't know." She decided to take a risk. "Decide for me," she told him. He did it for Lanie so maybe he could do it for her. Her request made him smile widely as he started chuckling. "I think I like you," he announced. He took a moment and whispered to his daughter. Guri eventually returned with a lovely necklace made up of animal hides wound together into a single strand with a lovely emerald at the front. The **Necklace of Animal:** Use _Speak with Animals_ and _Charm_ _Animals_ at will with no limit. No command word required.

"Eat, drink, and rest. You leave in an hour," Yani told them as he left with his daughter and the guard.

"I hope this was a good idea." Javi said worriedly. They got some magic items but people didn't just give things like that away. Just what were they going to have to do to earn them? "Like we had a choice?" Lanie countered knowing full well that people like them didn't say no to someone like Yani with his obvious power.

Stepping back into their little building to pick up their sleeping bags they found yet another platter of food similar to the last one. Katherine poured out one of her water skins to fill it with wine. "WHAT!? It's good stuff." Besides she was addicted a little. The others gathered up food for the journey and went back outside to find only Guri waiting for them.

This time, however, she looked different. Before she was dressed casually while now she was dressed for battle. She still had that same sword but now she had a bow that was almost as long as she was tall. Hanging on her belt was a quiver much like Javi's. But her arrows were almost as big as Katherine's arm and as long as Katherine was tall.

Guri also was wearing two rings, a necklace, and a pair of beautiful, ornate earrings that Katherine wondered how she had missed them before. She also had a backpack appropriate for her size. "Shall we go?" Guri asked them and began walking to the door through which they had entered. "Damn stairs," Katherine cursed though they found going down was easier than going up. Still it wasn't as easy for them as it was for Guri.

They found their horse's right where they had left them, still hobbled to prevent them from running. Dapper and Storm were also there and started growling at their new friend. "Easy boy, she's on our side." Katherine petted him to calm him as did Javi with Storm. "Or at least I hope she is," Katherine muttered under her breath only loud enough for her to hear.

Walking out a little farther from the mountain they saw the start of the switchbacks that they would need to take to travel downward several thousand feet. Down in the valley they saw the city of Silverymoon. From up here it didn't look that large, however, it was the capital city of the area which told them that it was quite large.

Javi was out in front while Storm was out in front of him. Lanie and Kevin were next followed by Guri and finally Rick then Katherine with Dapper. They quickly found that Guri had no trouble with her height and long legs that she could keep up especially when they reached a hairpin turn.

"The road's blocked below, it looks like it was an avalanche," Javi called out as he saw a large blockage of boulders which made sense since the area was mountainous with what might be loose boulders. Rick and Katherine watched as Guri pulled out an arrow and nocked it on her bowstring while looking around. Rick whistled and Javi quickly had his bow out along with Lanie pulling her mace and swinging her shield around in her other hand. Kevin simply disappeared from sight. Rick's warning also got Katherine to pull out her scimitar. "What are we looking for?" Katherine whispered. "Could be anything though it's likely mercenaries acting as road thieves after spotting the perfect ambush site," Rick whispered back.

Storm and Dapper were soon growling as Dapper went over to a rock that was on their level and sniffed it. Suddenly that rock and several others abruptly erupted and large men emerged armed with large clubs. There were four of them and to Katherine they had an oddly simian appearance with overlong arms, stooped shoulders, low foreheads, and heavily muscled, powerful arms.

Guri and Javi immediately shot arrows at different targets. The one Guri shot was launched backwards and tumbled to the ground while Javi's simply roared at soon found out what having a really large club did when it struck her armor. It hurt and forced the wind out of her lungs. It did, however, allow Rick to cast a spell. Suddenly two of the men were being wrapped up in huge spider webs, one of which was the attacker Guri had shot.

Lanie stepped up next to Javi, swung her large mace, and whacked an attacker in his right knee causing him to roar in pain. The distraction allowed Guri to pull two arrows and fire both of them at the same time. She hit the one in the back that had struck Katherine as he bent backwards and howled in severe pain.

Javi was struck in the chest by a really large club causing him to fall backwards and almost go over the side. Katherine took that moment to swing her scimitar and take a chunk out of their adversary's thigh just as Dapper bit him above his ankle on the same leg. Storm did the same thing as two more arrows hit the same person that the wolf had just bitten forcing him to stumble backwards from the arrows' strike. Rick now cast yet another spell on the attacker in front of Katherine. She watched a ray the same color as the sun fly past her head and strike the attacker in front of her; she watched it cause damage as more blood started to spill from the area.

Lanie felt a large club strike her shield causing her left arm to break as she screamed in agony. The new distance allowed Javi to get up to his knees as he fired two quick arrows into the adversary that had hit Lanie's shield. The arrows stuck in the same leg she had hit. It forced him down onto that knee as he groaned in pain.

Katherine watched Guri fire two arrows at the same time and hit the adversary in front of her in the back and saw him crumple to the ground just as Dapper bit the same ankle once more. Storm bit the same ankle again as Lanie did her best to swing her mace and hit his now injured leg only to have it glance off doing almost nothing. That miss cost her as his large club struck Lanie's shield and damaged her already broken arm still more, causing her to scream and fall to her knees. The pain in her arm was overwhelming.

Javi fired two arrows, one at a time, just as another two arrows from Guri struck the wounded adversary and caused him to fall backwards. Guri took the time to fire arrows at the ones trapped in Rick's web till they were dead, too.

With no more enemy to worry about Javi stumbled over to Lanie and handed her his potion that she waved off as she cast a _Cure Light Wounds_ on Javi who promptly chastised her for doing that. "You die on me because you're too stubborn to help yourself and I'll kill you!" Javi was pissed. Lanie soon found a large potion vial being shoved into her hand since she had dropped both her shield and her mace to cast her spell. "Drink!" Guri commanded showing that she was used to being in charge.

Guri strode over to Katherine, cast a spell and touched her. Suddenly Katherine felt so much better though the pain still lingered. "Thank you! What are these...men?" she asked as Kevin appeared, trapped in Rick's web. Rick hadn't seen him so he had become collateral damage. "Damn stuff sure is sticky," Kevin complained as he tried to free himself. Guri simply pulled out a fire starter kit and the webs went up in a flash of flame just barely scorching Kevin's hair. "They are hill giants. They are strong but stupid and easy to defeat," Guri told them as she took the clubs and launched them far away.

Guri was examining one of the cloaks that they had used to conceal themselves and stuffed it into her backpack. That was good enough for Kevin so he picked up the other three and gave one to Javi, and another to Lanie while he kept the fourth one.

"Search them and let us leave," Guri told them and went down to the roadblock then started heaving boulders out into the distance.

They found 2 potions total. One was _Remove Fear_ while the other one was _Levitate_. The coin was all copper pieces so Rick told them to just leave it, that it wasn't worth the added weight. "What about this?" Katherine lifted up a necklace one of them was wearing as a bracelet on his arm. "Take it and we'll figure out what it is later," Rick told her and watched her remove it from his wrist and stuff it into her backpack. "We should get moving, she's almost cleared the road already." Rick looked down and saw that Guri only had two boulders left to throw.

They were still on the mountain as the sun began to set. Guri pulled out a scroll and read aloud; a doorway appeared on a rock. "Enter, it is perfectly safe," she assured them. Katherine went first followed by the others with Guri entering last.

"Take off your armor and they will clean it for you." They watched Guri remove hers and saw a barely there cloudy figure carry it away. "Living area with fireplace, kitchen." And she pointed to a door. "Sitting area." She gestured toward another door. "Pool." She pointed to yet another door. "Bedrooms with...rooms all upstairs. One for everyone." She pointed upstairs and headed for the door that was the kitchen. "Horse stables are through that door with a space for each." Except for Rick they all took off their armor and watched it float away up the stairs. "Weird," Javi remarked. "Magic," Katherine countered and watched her armor float up the stairs and into a room.

"Pool huh?" Katherine said and went to that door followed by Rick while the other three headed for the kitchen.

There was soon a banquet on the large table that was also in that room. "We still have far to go. You need rest," Guri stated and left them in the kitchen. "Talkative isn't she?" Lanie said. She wasn't sure what she thought of her. Still Guri's bow had saved their asses and her one potion had darn near fixed Lanie completely.

Katherine was floating around in her primitive bra and panties. She kind of missed Kate's clothes including her perfect fitting panties and soft, pretty colored bras. She was trying to understand her life and what had happened just as Rick started stripping till he was just about naked.

Her heart pounded as she watched him strip and almost moaned when he stopped and eased himself into the pool. "The water's perfect," she told him and watched him let go and slip below the water level. He came back up with his hair wet and wiped the water from his eyes.

Katherine watched him tread water then swam straight for her till he was right in front of her and smiled. "Hi," she said weakly as while she was swimming in the pool the rest of her was swimming in Rick's eyes. She also watched him step in close to her since he was taller and could reach the bottom there. Soon she was kissing him. She ceased trying to hold her place, wrapped her arms around him, and felt him kiss her back. This was so much better than being stuck in her prison even if it was someone else's home. Though the thought of Kate was leaving her mind as he kept kissing her.


	13. Chapter 13

**K and K 13**

Kate blinked her eyes trying to clear her vision after being blinded yet again. She found herself in her dining room while watching it snowing lightly with a several inches already on the ground. "I'm home," she murmured unhappily. She looked around and found that the gold pieces were missing. There was something Katherine had made that looked like a backpack sitting on a bench. Kate opened it and found it filled with food, water, and even wine, along with the gold coins. "Was she planning on walking out?" Kate mused. "I suppose it would be possible if she went the right way but it's definitely not a good idea."

Kate didn't know how she got back here anymore than she knew how she had gotten there.

She stepped into the kitchen where she found an empty wine bottle in the sink. Opening the dishwasher she found that it was full and everything was clean. "Impressive, she figured out how to make the dishwasher work." Opening the wine cooler, Kate could see that she had found the wine and apparently liked it. Well, so did she so she pulled down a glass, poured herself one, and sipped it as she opened the freezer. "So she found the frozen food, too. Along with everything else it looks like." Kate saw that all of the cabinet doors and drawers had been left open allowing her to see what was in them. She spent a moment closing each of them one at a time.

Walking into the living room she found a Xanth series book on the sectional, _The Color of her Panties._ She chuckled as she remembered the crux of the story. It was about the heroin losing her virginity, joining the adult conspiracy, and just what a peek at her panties could do to a male.

She found all of the doors downstairs unlocked. Going upstairs she found nothing in the dryer which told her that Katherine had also figured out how to use the washer and dryer. "I may have underestimated her, she's smart," Kate said to herself about herself or other self.

She found dirty clothes thrown into a corner and her bed was unmade. The bathroom looked well used with the toilet paper sitting on the countertop instead of on the holder. "I've seriously underestimated her," she said smiling.

"Now why was she trying to leave?" Kate wondered which had her back downstairs putting on a heavy coat and going out to the garage. "So she found the cords of wood but the quad and snowmobile look untouched." She made a decision. She made sure the snowmobile was full of fuel, strapped a spare gas can to the back, and then tested the snowmobile to make sure that it would start instantly before going back inside.

Back in the cabin, Kate sat down after finding a pad of paper and a pencil and started writing as well as drawing sketches. She stopped long enough to cook herself something to eat.

She had finished eating and cleaned up and emptied the dishwasher so that she could put her dirty dishes into it. She went back to her pad, wrote down something and ripped it off the pad. She tucked it into the Xanth book that she had found and placed it back where she had found it.

She was soon back to the dining room table and went back to writing and drawing figures. She spread them out all over the table and used a bullet as a paper weight to hold them all in place. "There, that should help next time...if there is a next time." Kate stepped over to the window and looked out onto the partially frozen lake as the snow started to pick up into heavier flakes.

Thinking over what had happened, she just stood there. "I..." She shook her head and went to load a movie into her player. She went back to her pad, brought it over into the living room, and started writing again while adding little drawings. She finally set her pad down after ripping off the pages and placing them strategically. Then she pressed play and watched her movie only to get up part way through. She poured another glass of wine and threw a bag of popcorn into the microwave. Once she made it back to the living room she grabbed the pad yet again and started writing while adding little drawings.

Kate looked at her watch and saw that it was now 2:12 am. She realized that she had fallen asleep on the sectional. Still tired, she got up, went into her bedroom, and into the shower. She melted as she finally had another hot shower. It was her second in weeks if not months.

Sliding into bed naked, she was asleep in seconds.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

What Kate really wanted to do was to try and figure out how to go back immediately. Just that the other Katherine needed time in her own world. But Kate liked that world more than she liked this one. Her choices had gotten her to this point and while she felt she didn't have a choice, she likely did. She had grown up from a 19 year old girl all on her own. The choices she had made had made sure she stayed alone. Now because of Rick, Javi, Lanie, and even Kevin, she didn't want to be alone anymore. In fact she already missed them. But there was something she could do for when, not if, she went back. She changed clothes and walked into one of the spare bedrooms, a room that looked like Katherine hadn't got much use out of.

Kate, however, knew just how to use it. She started with stretching exercises and worked her way up to quick and powerful strikes. Kate remembered that they had said she fought more like a Monk and had explained the weapons most Monks used. A crossbow, which she didn't have. A dagger which she also didn't have. A quarterstaff which she did have. Shuriken, another item that she did have and a sling, an item that again, she didn't have.

Kate picked up the equivalent of a quarterstaff and started practicing until she advanced to striking objects with it. It wasn't until she was panting heavily and was actually bent over with her hands on her legs that she put her weapon away and selected the few shuriken that she had and chose a target. Much like a game of darts, she tried to hit the bullseye over and over again. She plucked them out of her target only to do it over and over again.

Finally tired, she wasn't throwing very well so she stripped and stepped into the shower. Stepping out and feeling much better, she dressed casually and went downstairs to start dinner. "So she likes chicken." A lot of it was missing. Kate selected a T-bone and put it on the indoor grill. While it was cooking she threw a potato into the microwave and put some carrots from a can onto the stove top.

"I wonder if she knows how to properly bundle up for the cold?" Kate walked over to the pad and started writing again and pinned it to one of her heavy coats in the closet. Satisfied that she had told herself, her other self, all that she could think of for now, she stripped and went to bed, dreaming of another world and what she would be doing in it.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It had been two weeks and Kate had developed a routine: clean the house; practice with her quarterstaff and throw her shuriken; cook something to eat; watch a movie that would be interrupted when she thought of something else to write down.

It had also snowed lightly for most of those two weeks. She was at the dining room table and started to pick up the item that she was betting was the correct object that would send her back. "DAMN!" She ran up the stairs and then jogged back down. She dropped $700 in cash, all of it in Canadian dollars, onto the table next to one of her notes. "That was close." Kate let out a heavy breath. She knew that those gold coins that were back to sitting on the table would be mostly useless to Katherine. Canadian dollars would work much better.

Kate picked it up again. "I want to go back. Please send me back. I don't want to be here anymore. Please!" She closed her eyes and when she opened them nothing had happened. "I know this is the item, it has to be." She held it in both hands and wished, followed by wishing again, and again, and again. "Why won't this work?" Kate was getting angry and very frustrated. "Wrong clothes maybe. Wrong time of day. Rick talked about saying the right words with the right gestures." Kate tried everything she could think of, and still nothing changed.

' _Please_ _,'_ she thought, _'_ _this needs to work.'_ She really didn't want to be here anymore. For the first time in a really long time she didn't want to be alone anymore. Kate sat down and placed her hand over it while it sat on the table. "Please!" She had folded in on herself, her forehead on the tabletop with one hand on the item she was sure was the right one. "I miss them." A tear escaped and traveled down her face to the table. She took her hand off of it and held them tight to her chest and watched the sun go down. "Please, I can help them. I've been practicing." Kate knew she had already been pretty good with her chosen weapons and practicing for the last two weeks for several hours each day only solidified that belief.

She put her forehead back down on the table and then looked up and started to reach for it again and beg. For the first time in her life, she actually humbled herself and begged.

The next moment there was a blinding light. She blinked and saw Rick walking next to her. "RICK" And she let go of her reins and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly, searching his mouth for his taste. Kate could feel him kissing her back till she broke from the kiss and looked at him, smiling widely. "HI!" She was swimming in his blue eyes again and was loving it.

Kate backed up and looked down at herself. "I'm in armor again." She looked to her other side and saw the dog again. "And the dog is still here."

"It's not a dog, it's a wolf and you named him Dapper...Kate?" Rick questioned since she was speaking oddly again. "Dapper." She reached down to scratch behind his ears. "Yeah, it's me again. I think I figured out how it works. And I left the other Katherine a lot of notes that should help her."

"I've also been doing a lot of practicing using...what and who is that?" Kate's eyes widened as she pointed at the back of Guri who was mostly white with a little blue, wearing armor, had a huge sword, an even bigger bow, and was really, really tall! "That's Guri and she's a Cloud Giant. We're escorting her to the capital city of Silverymoon," Rick explained. "Cloud Giant? ...Well, I have to admit she's really tall." Kate looked her up and down.

"Where are we?" Kate looked out past them and found them still high up on the side of a mountain and looked to be traveling on switchbacks to get to the bottom.

"We finished the cheese factory and finally left after curing the infected people and you, I mean Katherine, found a Cloud Giant home. He paid each of us to escort his daughter to the city," Rick said as he pointed out in front of them where Kate could see a city in the distance. It didn't look that big, but then she knew from this distance and this height its size would remain hidden.

"Any trouble?" Kate queried immediately. "A little, yeah. Our Cloud Giant is a really powerful fighter. We'd all be dead without her. We were attacked by 4 hill giants, or so she told us. They were tall, just not her kind of tall, and powerful." Rick wasn't exaggerating. He was sure that without her they would be dead. "So who knows we're doing this?" Kate smelled a rat. It was in her nature to question things. It was why she was still alive. "Just her father and at least one guard that we know of," he told her not following her train of thought.

"Can we stop for a moment? I want to take this armor off again and find a weapon I can use," Kate asked him, getting Rick to call for a break. It was while she was taking off her armor and stuffing it into her backpack again that Lanie, followed by Javi, questioned what she was doing. "It's me guys, Kate." Seeing their faces she explained, "the thief/assassin Kate."

"You two have traded places again," Lanie said as she worked it out. "Yeah, I think I know how it works now. I left the other me a lot of notes for her to read. It should help her while she's there," Kate clarified. "May I use that and where did you get it? I don't remember you having it earlier," she pointed at Lanie's new staff. "I can use it as a weapon, I've been practicing," she said as she gestured at Lanie's new Staff of Life.

"It's my payment for doing this. You sure you know how to use this?" Lanie had only just gotten it and didn't want to lose it. Kate took it from her, smiled, and started showing off just what she could do with it. "Yep, she knows." Javi was smiling. Kate kept the scimitar where it was even if she really didn't know how to use it. "We should go," Guri stepped up to them and walked away back down the road.

"I take it she's in charge," Kate said dryly as they spread out a little and started walking their horses again. "Pretty much, yes," Rick replied. They walked in silence. "You're quiet Rick. You don't have any questions for me?" She desperately wanted him to talk to her. She was back amongst whom she was fast thinking of friends and yet the person she wanted to be closest to wasn't talking.

"I...I kissed her," he blurted out. "Kissed who? The other Katherine?" Kate questioned knowing just how weird it all sounded. "Yeah. Well, technically she kissed me. I simply kissed her back." Rick didn't want her angry with him. "So, you kissed her. Did you do anything else? Did you do..." he interrupted her. "No! ...No nothing else. We were in the pool and you, I mean she, wasn't wearing much and she looks like you. I mean you look like her and...I kissed her back." He slumped since he knew what it sounded like.

Kate was enjoying watching him squirm and flounder in what to say. It was cute and new for her. "Good," she told him. "I mean it's good that you didn't...not with her." She stared at the ground while she walked using her new staff as a walking stick. "This is so confusing and so complicated," Kate commented not sure just what to do since she had so little experience at this. "You're telling me," Rick replied softly.

"What's that?" Javi pointed up in the sky to an area out in front of him. "Hippogriffs!" Rick called out. "They like horse meat above anything else," Rick warned loudly. That had both Javi and Guri nocking arrows and getting ready. "Front right," Guri told Javi who simply nodded. Javi saw her large arrows fly and he let loose with one of his followed quickly by another one.

They watched a hippogriff fall from the sky, however the other 7 kept coming. "Next left," Guri called out. Javi again nodded, watched Guri's two large arrows fly, and he fired one after another quickly and another hippogriff fell from the sky. Now down to six, they as a group tried to make a pass trying to snatch up a horse. Kevin got in a strike using his silver tipped whip, hitting one of them on a leg that caused the hippogriff to veer off course which saved his horse. Lanie jumped up, swung her heavy mace, and hit one in the leg saving her horse.

One of the hippogriffs got both claws into Kate's horse; they heard her horse squeal in pain. Kate twirled her staff and hit the hippogriff in a leg as hard as she could. The injury forced the hippogriff to drop her horse, however the damage had been done and the horse fell to the ground bleeding badly.

The others flew past since they didn't all have room to attack. That allowed Guri to fire another two arrows into one of them followed by Javi doing the same and they watched it fall. Now down to five, the hippogriffs made a wide turn and made another run.

Guri and Javi managed to down another one before they reached them. "Pull your horses down onto the ground," Rick yelled as he wrapped his arms around his horse's neck and twisted a little, forcing its legs to buckle and fall on its side. Everyone but Guri and Javi did the same with Kate taking Javi's horse since hers was already down. That freed Guri and Javi up, allowing them to keep firing as the hippogriffs made another pass but couldn't get low enough to snatch a horse.

The hippogriffs were now down to just three and they flew away after recognizing that they had failed. Kate rushed over to her horse. "I don't know how to save him." They could hear the sorrow in her voice. It was then that Kate wished she was Katherine who likely did know how help him. Lanie stepped next to her and cast two _Cure Light Wounds_ spells. The horse rose with the others though it was apparent that it still hurt a little. "I'm so sorry boy, I'm so sorry." She stroked his head and rested hers up against his. "Katherine would have known what to do wouldn't she?" Kate asked softly. "She's a Druid who understands animals better than anyone here, so yes. But don't let it worry you. You saved him from being taken away, otherwise you would have to walk," Lanie told her and placed a hand on her arm.

"We should move," Guri informed them and began walking back down the mountain road. Since they were her escort the others got on their horses while Kate did her best to avoid the places her horse had been injured. "You've been attacked once already since picking her up, correct?" Kate questioned Rick who was riding next to her with Dapper on the other side. "Not long after we started, yes," he confirmed, wondering what she was thinking.

"You're paid to escort her to town which is far away. You're attacked not long after you start and now again." Kate remained silent for a moment. "How long were you there before you left?" she asked him. "One night, we were paid for our time this morning and left an hour later. ...Why? What are you thinking?" Rick turned to look at her.

"In my world I stay safe by not doing things anyone would expect me to do. I work alone for that reason. I've gotten used to being alone. I also don't trust easily and I question everything."

"Is there someone who would want her to fail to reach this city? And what happens if she doesn't?" Kate asked. "GURI!" she yelled. "What happens if you don't reach this city?" she inquired. "My father will blame the residents of Silverymoon and he will destroy the city," Guri replied and kept walking her long strides. "Is he capable of destroying that city?" Kate pointed at the one they were headed for. Guri turned her head to look at Kate. "Easily."

WOW! Was she telling the truth? Her father was really that powerful? "Who benefits from her death?" Kate whispered loud enough for only Rick to hear her. "You think someone wants her to fail?" He didn't see any benefit from killing her and then destroying the city.

"And if your father doesn't destroy the city. What happens then?" Kate now had a theory. "My father will be challenged for control," Guri replied and went back to watching where they were going. Kate started smiling now that her theory had wings. "I don't suppose you have any brothers or sisters?" Kate questioned her. "I have two brothers, both younger than me. We are all 4 years apart," Guri informed her.

"BINGO!" Kate's theory was no longer a theory in her mind. "We're going to be hit again aren't we?" Rick questioned having heard her, though he didn't understand the word. "Oh yeah, several times most likely. One or more of her brothers wants her dead so that he or they can challenge their father for control." Kate was certain of it. "Or possibly want this city destroyed and why do it themselves when they can get someone else do it for them? Just who would that be?"

"I think it's a good thing that you're here and not Katherine. We would likely not be expecting to be attacked and wouldn't know why." Rick was smiling at her. Kate turned her head and fought down a blush that actually caught her by surprise. It had been years since she felt this way. _'I want him. And it_ _'_ _s been so long.'_ Kate watched Rick when she was sure he wasn't paying attention to her.


	14. Chapter 14

**K and K 14**

Katherine blinked her eyes to clear them from being blinded by the sun hitting something and didn't like what she saw. **"NOoo!"** she moaned as she collapsed on the bench of the dining room table.

She placed her head in her hands and leaned onto the table. "She was back in her prison again. Except for the food and the books she hated this place. Hated it with a passion. She didn't want to be alone.

Still Katherine looked up just to confirm and sure enough she saw the invisible wall with a light amount of white stuff falling. Then she caught sight of all of the papers scattered around on the table. She didn't remember those being here before.

 _Katherine,_

 _My given name is Katherine Houghton Beckett, though I go by Kate now. I_ _a_ _m going to guess that the year is n_ _o_ _t going to mean anything to you, however I_ _a_ _m presently 37 years old and will be 38 in a number of months._

 _This is my home,_ _o_ _ne of three that I own. In this world I_ _a_ _m what you would call a thief/assassin. I_ _ha_ _ve made good money doing and it has allowed me to live a life most do n_ _o_ _t or can_ _no_ _t._

 _I recently killed an entire family to steal an item that someone else wanted and I sold it to him making me still more money. However, after this job I started experiencing nightmares. Something that had never happened before. I wanted to get away from people and try and get a handle on them. So I came to this home where there is no one for miles. I had this place built years ago. I kind of like the solitude this place provides me._

 _It sounds like being here is not to your taste and for that I_ _a_ _m sorry. I was not expecting to share this home with you. Do you see the item directly in front of this page? I believe that this item is the reason why we keep exchanging places. How it works or why it works is something I do n_ _o_ _t yet understand._

 _Now that you know_ _,_ _I_ _a_ _m asking you to give me some time in your world. I_ _a_ _m really enjoying it here and want to spend some time in it. I_ _a_ _m enjoying your friends_ _, s_ _omething I have n_ _o_ _t done in a really long time._

 _See next page._

Katherine had reached the bottom of the page. "Another me!?" She was still a little confused. She had learned a little something from the others about this Kate. She was tempted to just pick up the item and try and make it work immediately. She really hated this place. Still there were other pieces of paper to read.

 _I hope that you_ _a_ _re still with me and reading. I was 19 years old when both of my parents were taken from me. My parents were both lawyers and they_ _earned_ _good money. We lived in a really large city called New York City. It literally held millions_ _of people_ _if you can imagine that number. The city was in the middle of a group_ _of thieves_ _that w_ _ere_ _hitting homes to steal what they had and kill_ _ed_ _anyone they found there._

 _They were actually pretty good at it and avoid_ _ed_ _being captured. Like everyone else we never thought it would happen to us, but it did. I came home from school_ _that was many, many days' journey away_ _and found them dead in the living room. They had_ _n_ _o_ _t just killed them, they had butchered them. Cut them open and pulled their organs out._

 _I changed that day. I quite school and started learning something else. In this time I learned a lot but had just one goal in mind_ _:_ _Find them and kill them for destroying my family. They had moved on from New York and started_ _stealing and killing_ _in Boston before moving on again._

 _I finally caught up with them in a city called Chicago. I did n_ _o_ _t just kill them, I tortured them mercilessly. They screamed for weeks for what they had done, and I enjoyed it. However when they finally died all it did was make me feel empty. It did n_ _o_ _t give me my parents back. It did_ _n_ _o_ _t give me the life I wanted for me back._

 _Still I took my skills and created a job out of it. I_ _ha_ _ve been alone since I was 19 years old and have gotten used to living alone. I travel alone, eat alone_ _,_ _and do n_ _o_ _t date anyone._

 _My life is probably cold in your eyes and you would likely have made different choices._

 _I guess that_ _i_ _s why I_ _a_ _m asking_ _this of_ _you. Please give me two weeks in your world. When those 2 weeks are up you can use the item and switch places again._

 _Please! I_ _ha_ _ve never begged anyone for anything, but I am of you. If you accept maybe we can do this a lot. I can move in a few months and show you my other homes. One is literally on a beach in a temperate climate. I had planned on it being my retirement home after I stopped doing what I_ _a_ _m doing._

 _Please think it over and give it a chance. PLEASE!_

 _Next page._

Katherine literally didn't know what to think. Live here in her prison for 2 weeks so her other self could enjoy her time with her friends? Though listening to her friends they had made friends of this other person, this Kate. And living right on a beach did sound interesting. However she said months.

 _If you feel the need to leave this home and go somewhere, be warned that the closes_ _t_ _town, which is n_ _o_ _t very big_ _,_ _is miles away_ _. If you travel on foot y_ _ou will not reach it for weeks and will die trying. However there is a way for you to get there. In a separate building is a machine called a snowmobile. With it there are more pages with instruction_ _s_ _complete with sketches on how to use it._

 _One more thing, you will need an item that has your name on it with your picture and I have left it sitting on that page. I have also left some Canadian money for you to use. Those gold coins would have been useless in that town. In New York City you could likely_ _sell them and_ _get hundreds of thousands for them._

 _You will need this money to purchase more gas to get back. Money to buy food with. Money to get a room to sleep in. Money to buy what you think you need after you get there. There is also a card next to it that has my name on it along with the_ _words_ _ **American Express**_ _. If for some reason you run out of money or just lose it along the way, you can use this card to purchase anything you want. And by anything I mean anything you find that you like no matter the cost. Simply sign your name (My name_ _..._ _our name) where they tell you to and it_ _i_ _s yours._

 _Oh, by the way. My parents' names were Jim and Johanna._

Katherine stopped reading. She had her name and her parents' names were the same as hers? How was any of this possible? Was there really magic that was this powerful?

She looked for that page and found it with pieces of paper on it next to two small stiff items. One had Kansas on it along with her name and a picture of what she looked like now. The other one was black that said **American Express** on it along with her name and a bunch of numbers.

On this page was more writing along with drawings that showed how to start it, how to ride it, and how to fill it with gas. She was warned that she would run out of gas and it would just suddenly stop on her. On the back was a can that held more gas and she had to pour all of the contents into the location indicated. Pull the cord as often as was needed until it started and ride it into town. The first thing she was supposed to do was buy more gas before doing anything else.

"Snowmobile?" Still she had drawn a picture of it and it did look like one of the items she found that was next to all of the wood for the fireplace.

"Two weeks," Katherine said to herself as she thought about it. Her homemade backpack was missing but there was something a lot like it in its place. Her curiosity won out and she opened it. Inside she found food, water, wine, and clothes along with another note.

 _This is a real backpack and should fit you better. Take the money, cards_ _,_ _and sketches with you._

Katherine actually chuckled. The other Katherine...Kate was talking to her the only way she could. It had her thinking about writing back. If she was going to accept this weird idea this was going to be the only way for them to talk to each other.

She was feeling better about being in her prison again. She had looked at everything on the table and moved over to the refrigerator. It was here that she found another large note complete with sketches attached to it somehow.

 _The cooktop next to you has a grill in the middle, just use the buttons under the glass to adjust the temperature for the top. Turn on the oven below the top and turn of_ _f_ _the grill._

 _Inside here you will find things tagged T-bone and Sirloin. These are beef that you can place in the microwave to defrost and place on the grill. You have found all of the spices. May I suggest you use salt and pepper, just not too much. Or use the one marked Mesquite. Or if you want to be daring_ _,_ _use the one marked Cajun._

Katherine smiled widely. She wondered what else Kate had left behind for her to find.

Sure enough she found one marked Sirloin and put it in the microwave just like before and pressed the buttons to make it work. Next she started looking at the buttons on the smooth black top till she felt heat building up on the center ribs.

She opened another can, emptied it into a pot, and watched the smooth black top start to glow below it. Katherine decided to be bold and sprinkled the top with a little bit of the spice marked Cajun.

Eating her steak had Katherine opening her eyes wide. It was definitely different, not bad different, just different. Still she decided she wasn't going to do that again.

The dirty stuff went into the sink for now. She took down a glass, got a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler, and poured herself a large glass. She walked into the living room to check on the fire in the fireplace and decided it was fine for now. However she found another note attached to the big black thing above the fireplace.

What it said seemed simple enough, but a lot of the words didn't make much sense to her. Still she found the button just where the sketch told her it would be and she saw the letters DVD on it. It also told her to use the narrow, lightweight black box and press ENTER after it showed the word PLAY.

Katherine watched it do and show her a number of things before it finally said _Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters._ She sat down with her glass of wine and watched it until the list of names at the end stopped. She had spent most of the movie with her mouth hanging open. There was more than one time that she said, "Magic!" and meant it.

It was only after the movie was done that she found another note attached to a little black box that told her about DVDs complete with sketches on how to use the device. And that all those disks were movies for her to watch, that there were a whole lot of them. A whole lot!

There was even a short list offering her Kate's choices for her to watch: _The Wizard of Oz_ ; _E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial_ ; _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ ; _King Kong_ ; _Toy Story_ ; _Frankenstein_ ; _Young Frankenstein_ ; _The Terminator_ ; _Mary Poppins_ ; _Aliens_ ; _Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_ ; _Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers_ ; _Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King_.

Katherine noticed right away that the list was 13 movies long and if she counted the one she had just watched, Kate had given her a list of movies to watch over her 2 week period she had asked for. But Katherine was conflicted. She didn't want to be alone in her prison that was feeling more like a home with all of the notes all over helping her.

She had a way to leave and go see a town in this world, to see what that was like. However, finding out what this black thing on the wall could do had her interested.

"Why did they make a troll look wrong? They don't look anything like that," Katherine said. She'd seen one and it didn't look anything like this troll. She went looking for _The Wizard of Oz_ , since it was at the top of the list. She placed it in the little black box and pressed the buttons Kate had told her to.

"Fine, two weeks. But I _am_ going into town. I want to see what this world looks like." Katherine said to herself and pressed ENTER when the word PLAY showed up.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine had made up her mind that night after watching _The Wizard of Oz_. She was going to go into this town the other Katherine... _Kate_ had mentioned. She wanted out of this prison, plus she wanted to see some of this world and not just this one little local area.

Come morning she had showered, was dressed, and picked up her backpack then headed for the closet with the heavy coats and boots. Inside she found yet another note.

 _Hi,_

 _If you_ _a_ _re really going to do this_ _,_ _wear this coat and use the gloves that are stuffed into the pockets._ _But f_ _irst go back upstairs and change clothes. You will find what you need in the large bottom right drawer. I_ _ha_ _ve moved things around just for this. Put everything in that drawer on and then come back down here._

 _Put on the coat and take the gloves and the backpack with you out to the garage and find the snowmobile. There you will find another note along with a map on how to get there._ _ **Do not lose that map or you will never make it back!**_

 _Remember to pack the money and those cards and leave the gold coins behind, you will not need them. And make sure it is not snowing when you leave._

 _Kate_

Katherine was beginning to like this other Katherine or Kate, as she preferred. She went upstairs where she found the drawer filled with stuff for her to wear along with still another note.

 _The socks are powered and will keep your feet warm, just plug them in after you get to your room and they will be good for another day. You need to layer that is why you will find a lot to wear in this drawer._

 _Kate_

Katherine stripped and put on what was in the drawer until she felt stiff and she was getting hot already. She found the button that turned on the socks and her feet were warm by the time she made it back down to the closet to put on her boots and the heavy coat Kate had picked out for her.

Out in the garage she found the map and another note with little drawings on how to start and use the snowmobile along with how to fill it with gas and what to do after it ran out of gas. There was also a little black box smaller than the palm of her hand that had a small note attached.

 _Press here_

Katherine pressed it and found the wall opening up in front of her along with some noise. It had her smiling as she stuffed her map into a pocket, put on her gloves, cinched her hood tight, and put on the goggles that her note had told her to never take off unless she wanted to risk going blind.

She yanked on the black handle like her note and drawing told her to and the snowmobile started to make a horrible noise. It had her pulling out her note again.

 _It will be loud but unless you hear something like metal hitting metal, it is working perfectly._

She stuffed her note back into her pocket, made sure her backpack was secure, sat down and did what her note told her to do. Once outside she pressed the button and watched the wall close back up. "Magic."

It took some practice but she felt like she was getting the hang of riding a snowmobile. If it wasn't for the noise it might actually be nice.

Katherine had been riding for a while, going fast when she could and slowing down when she thought she needed to until she finally stopped and pulled out her map. When she did she saw two little green things fall out of her pocket. She had to take off her glove to pick them up. Not knowing what they were she stuffed them back into her pocket where she found still another small note.

 _Ear plugs to block out the noise the snowmobile makes. Put one in each ear._

She took off her other glove and soon had the little green things in her ears. The sound diminished greatly. Not completely but it was better.

Her map told her that to the right was a place called **Dillon Cove Marina and Resort**. _Likely closed for the winter._ was written next to it. It had her back to riding for her destination: the Township of Carling, Ontario.

Sure enough suddenly her snowmobile stopped working. Since she had been warned she decided now was a good time to eat some of what she had brought with her. Sitting on the snowmobile while eating seemed the most logical thing to do instead of standing or sitting on the cold ground. Once done she opened the gas tank like her drawing told her to and poured in the gas from the can till it was empty. She strapped it back in place since she would need to fill both it and the snowmobile in town.

It was soon after that that she started seeing really big...somethings? She had no idea what they were, just that they were different colors, different shapes though they all had one thing in common. They had these black round things that actually touched the ground, plus they made noise and had smoke coming out the back.

There was white everywhere she looked. She stayed to one side and was even passed by a few of those things. Even more surprising was the fact that there were people inside them!

Katherine stopped and pulled out her map. It showed something about gas, called **Canadian Tire and Gas** , and something that said **Canadas Best Value Inn** **&** **Suites**. Her note had warned her about needing gas so she stopped there first and was immediately lost as to what to do. While she sat there and watched, she worked out that people in those big things arrived, got out and used something, and then got back in and left again. A few went inside and then came back out, used what they stopped next to and then left again.

It made her brave enough to ride up to the thing. She opened her gas tank and started reading what was on the device. Pulling out Kate's black **American Express** card she did what the drawing on the device told her to do and pressed buttons like the screen told her to do. She put the item into the snowmobile's opening and pulled the handle till it suddenly stopped. Then she filled her can and put the metal thing with the black snake all back.

"Did she want a receipt?" showed up on the screen next. _What was a receipt?_ She pressed the button for YES and saw a piece of paper spit out of the device. She took it, read it, and stuffed it into her pocket. The **Canadas Best Value Inn** **&** **Suites** was just a little ways away so she rode down to it and crossed over to it when there were none of those big things that people were in her way.

Along the way she saw buildings with words on them so she read them as she went by. **Trappers Choice** , **Trappers Inn** , and next came the **Canadas Best Value Inn** **& ****Suites**. It was large and at least as tall as her prison. The front door was simply enough to find, however having it open for her had her jumping back till she watched it close and then open again when she stepped forward.

There was a lady that greeted her and soon she was telling her everything that was available. Katherine went with the one king bed, free wi-fi, flat-screen TV with cable, refrigerator, coffee and tea maker, jetted bathtub, iron and ironing board, and free breakfast. CAD$105 a night. Katherine now had a decision to make, how long did she want to stay?

Kate's note had asked for 2 weeks so she asked for one week. "Is there food?" She didn't have a week's worth of food in her backpack.

"There is **Trappers Choice** to the left, behind it is **Harry's** **N** **o Frills** grocery store. Your room only has a microwave so you need to be careful what you choose. To the right just at the light there is a **Dairy Queen** and **Mac's** ," the lady answered her question.

"Can I clean my clothes?" Katherine hadn't packed a week's worth of clothes either. "There is a laundromat in the larger building behind **Harry's**. It should have soap and a coin changer, if not come back and I'll give you some coins," she told her then told her how to reach her room.

The space she was in wasn't as nice as her prison though it did have a fireplace with one of those flat black things above it like her prison and some seating. She left that area to find her room that was just down the hall on the main floor. It took her a moment to figure out what to do with the card she had been given to get the door to open. Inside she found four different areas. First was a space that had a long seating area, two chairs with a table, and another flat black thing on the wall. Next were cabinets with a sink, a white refrigerator, and a microwave. Across from it was the bathroom and at the end was a single large bed.

The entire place was actually horrible to look at. All of the colors clashed with each other. "Maybe a week is too long." Katherine was starting to second guess her decision. Still if she didn't want to stay here she could just leave and go back.

She unpacked her backpack and put stuff away and then started walking to **Harry's** **N** **o Frills** so she could buy some food. She had a refrigerator and a microwave and knew how to use both of them.

The invisible wall opened for her the second she got close. Inside she stopped and froze in amazement. There was food everywhere! Aisle after aisle of food and stacked so high she might need help reaching it. "WOW!" Katherine had to suddenly get out of the way as someone came inside from behind her.

She watched people all dressed warmly like she was pushing something around that had cans and boxes inside it so she found one and started pushing it. She started at one corner of the store and worked her way to the other corner.

She couldn't cook so her cart didn't have much in it for a while. Still she knew what cereal was and found one that matched what was in her prison. She found the milk and got a large one gallon jug. Orange juice was also easy and it came in its own container. She wanted to get eggs and other things but couldn't cook. Still she could make cold things and had bread, ham, turkey, cheese, mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper. Then she found something that said pre-cooked bacon so she took two and added them to her items.

Next came the produce area up front. It was there that she went nuts and placed almost anything that looked good with her other stuff.

Then she found the frozen dinner section. She didn't know what they were, but there were a lot of them. Reading the back of one of them told her that she could put it in the microwave and cook it that way, so she grabbed 5 different ones that looked nice and named items on the front that she knew.

Next came the ice cream section; she searched until she found one that said Real Strawberry and took two of them. Then there was wine bottle after wine bottle along with something that said beer. Soon there were 6 wine bottles and six cans of something called beer that came from the largest selection available. _'If there was that much of it it must be good_ _,'_ she reasoned.

She watched two people pay for their stuff before she got in line. When the kid told her how much, she handed over her black American Express card. The kid didn't bat an eye; he just did his job and gave it all back to her. Katherine pushed her cart all the way to her door and into her room where she put it all away.

She found out her room had four plates, some glasses, and silverware to eat with. Except for the horrible colors maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.


	15. Chapter 15

**K and K 15**

Katherine had learned how to turn on the TV except what she was used to was watching a movie using the Blu ray DVD player. Now she was using the buttons to do all kinds of things and found that she could change the screen from one thing to another.

Suddenly she was watching an adult male sitting somewhere who was strapped into place that looked too small for him. He was throwing his drink cup and bag of food while screaming MOMMY! Over and over again. "Mayhem is everywhere, so get Allstate Insurance and be protected from Mayhem like this." Katherine scrunched her face trying to make sense of it however it had moved past that and onto the next topic. Needless to say, she changed the channel again.

Suddenly she was on a channel that had some little guy dressed in tan clothes with a large hat on his head and he was holding something long in both his hands. "Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting Wabbits. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." It was crude and simple looking and yet Katherine left it there for now while she watched.

"That's one smart wabbit or he's incredibly stupid," Katherine muttered as she kept watching until the end and then changed channels again. What came up next was a man and a women, both well dressed and sitting at a table and were talking right at her.

Something about an anniversary of a school shooting where several students and teachers were shot and killed. They discussed how that event had changed the town. Then they started talking about the local weather and how the snow had stopped falling for now, however, they were expecting at least another 4 inches over the next two days. They warned everyone to drive carefully.

"Drive?" Katherine questioned out loud. Then they started talking about the latest teacher strike, what that meant for the children who didn't go to school, and how their parents were going to handle having their children at home instead of going into work.

Next came sports and something called football. Bored, she changed channels again finally finding the start of a movie on something called TNT. _Hotel Transylvania._ Katherine couldn't help it, she started smiling and by the time the lower half of some guy who arrived in pieces farted a big one behind some guy wrapped up in cloth she was rolling around on the sofa laughing her ass off. "Housekeeping!" Katherine was loving it.

It was hours later. She was washing her face and seeing herself grin, still affected by the movie. She had to admit that so far, her trip into town was a bit of a mixed bag. Not good and still interesting. Hopefully tomorrow would be different since she would have all day to look around.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

After taking a shower Katherine took down a bowl, got a spoon, dumped out some cereal, then poured some milk and sat down to eat. The food was familiar while the surroundings were different. Satisfied, she put her bowl and spoon in the sink.

She dressed warmly, made sure she had her card to get back into her room, and headed for the front door. It was there that she kicked herself about forgetting about the breakfast she could have eaten here. It had her looking around at what was available. She liked it since she could get cooked eggs and other things. She even took a banana and was peeling it while walking outside. "Have a nice day miss," the lady behind the desk called out as she left.

Once outside she checked on her snowmobile since it was her only way back. It had a light dusting of snow on it, but otherwise it looked unchanged. Even her gas can was still there. Then she turned right since she had turned left last time.

She had to trudge through snow, slipping a little while looking around and watching those things going down the packed white stuff with people inside them. There wasn't a single horse, cow or any other animal in sight. It wasn't long before she reached a large intersection that had lots of these large things sitting while others went through. She stood there watching and finally caught on that they stopped when the light hanging above them was red in color and got going again when it was green.

She also saw the Dairy Queen across the way with the other place next to it. The door didn't open and it was then that she saw the sign that said "Closed" on it. What it was remained a mystery. Walking over to the other place, she saw it had the same sign. Katherine just kept walking until she got hungry and started walking back the way she had come. This time Dairy Queen had an open sign so she went inside and stomped the snow off her boots.

"Can I help you miss?" the young lady about her age asked her. Katherine looked at what was available. She had two containers back in her room and she didn't see anything else. "No thanks." If she was going to eat that, she would eat what she had gotten.

Back at the inn Katherine saw an older woman walking down the hall pushing a cart. She stopped and knocked on a door. "House keeping." And then the woman entered the room and left the door open while she did things inside. Katherine entered her room and found her bed made, the bowl and spoon in the sink were gone, her trash can was empty plus she had new towels in the bathroom. "All right, so staying here has a benefit," she murmured. She was finally impressed.

Since she had only packed 2 day's worth of clothes she needed to do laundry, so with her backpack stuffed with dirty clothes she walked to the laundromat she had been told about. Naturally there was no one inside so she didn't get to watch someone do it first. Still getting the coins to work the machines was simple enough and where to put the coins was also easy to figure out. Getting soap from a machine was simple; she dumped the entire contents of the little box into the washer then set it and sat down. It was then that she cursed because she didn't bring her book since this was so very boring. "I wonder what Kate is doing," Katherine said to herself. She was sure whatever it was it was more exciting than watching clothes go round and round.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine abandoned the stupid black thing on the wall and chose to walk the town till she found someplace to eat and then walk back to her room. She was happy that Kate kept her body in such good shape since she was walking for miles.

Killbear Park Mall had been eye-opening. It wasn't enclosed but it had all of these little stores right next to each other one after the other. She saw a number of things that if she had had room to take them with her she would have bought them and taken them home. Just that home wasn't hers...

Snugel-In Fish & Steak Restaurant. Bread N' Butter Kitchen. Rob's Smoked Fish.

Not that anyone said anything, but she didn't understand the concept of tips and so she unknowingly stiffed the wait staff every place she ate. It's not like she couldn't afford it since she hadn't as yet touched the CDN$700 Kate had left her. She was using that little black card everywhere for everything. It baffled her how a little black card could be used to buy anything, plus they gave it back to her to be re-used over and over again.

She used the laundromat one more time and decided to leave the next morning after putting on the only clean clothes she still had.

She had learned those big things with black round things were called cars except for the ones that were called trucks. And then she heard people talking about flying. It had her wondering if this place actually did have magic. Right up until she saw a picture of a plane that they used to fly in.

She had also noticed that what all those cars and trucks drove on was always a hard surface which was also covered in a lot of the white stuff. Still there were a lot of signs telling her the name of the surface they were traveling on.

Katherine stopped a lot on the way home to re-check her map, making sure she was going the right way. The trail she had created getting to the city was gone thanks to all the new of all those stops she quickly learned why she had been warned to always wear the goggles Kate had left her. All of the white everywhere was actually blinding and hard on her eyes.

She was remembering her encounter with a number of horses that she had come across along a fence. At first there was just the one upon which she had used her spell _Speak with Animals_.It was only as she was asking her questions while handing over a raw carrot that she got the attention of the other 5 horses that could reach her; they all reached for a carrot. Not wanting to be mean she threw carrots to the other three horses that couldn't get to her because of a fence.

Strapping her now empty gas can to the back of the snowmobile she headed back home. It was only as she was putting the snowmobile away back in the garage that she considered this place as a home. She had a way out now so it was a prison no longer.

Katherine put everything away just like she had found it except for the clothes; those went into the washer along with some soap. She turned it on then went downstairs to search for something to eat.

Once again she used one of the cookbooks to prepare something and this time ate it at the dining room table where all of Kate's notes were still piled. Looking at all of them again gave her an idea so she got up and went into the living room where she found the pad of paper and something to write with. Katherine started making notes of her own while she ate. The dirty dishes went into the dishwasher and she started it after dropping in a pod. From there she went into the living room and put in the next movie on Kate's list. She continued to make notes as she half watched her movie.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine had given Kate the 2 weeks she asked for and now Katherine was running around trying to make sure that all of her own notes were in place. Besides having their shared friends this was the best way for them to talk.

She had made sure the dishwasher and the washer and dryer were empty. She had even found the other gas cans and had filled the snowmobile with gas and strapped a full one to the back of it just like Kate had done.

She hadn't found the time to watch the final 3 movies on Kate's list and since it looked like they were related somehow, she had decided not to start one and not have time to watch the other two.

Now she was sitting at the dining room table with her notes spread out while Kate's were piled at one end. "Now how does this thing actually work?" She picked it up and looked it over. It looked just like it always did. The entire thing was essentially devoid of color except for what she took to be two eyes, even though it lacked having a nose and a mouth. Let alone ears or hair.

Both sides lacked any kind of writing that she could see. Still she could do something that Kate could not. So she cast both spells that she had prepared for this day.

 _Detect Magic_ \- You can detect the aura that an item has that is magical. The longer you study it the more you can learn about what type of magic it was.

 _Read Magic_ \- Magical words can be hidden or symbols that normally have no meaning.

What Katherine got back was that it was magic. She knew what type and would ask Rick what the type meant when she saw him. _When_ she saw him, not _if_ she saw him. She also didn't see any words or symbols even after the spell.

It was getting late in the day and she was losing light since the sun was setting. "I want to go home now. It's my home, or at least it was until the Orcs arrived and killed everyone. I've done as Kate asked. Please!? I want to go home," Katherine pleaded while holding it in both hands.

Nothing... "It works, I know it does. So what does it want?" She put it back on the table and surrounded it by the gold coins. However, as she did that her _Detect Magic_ spell was still functioning and she found that the gold coins were also magic.

"Are they together to make this work?" Katherine questioned and found that not all of the coins were magic; 3 of them were dark. That had her thinking. "Kate used it to change places with me. I used it to get back and she used it to change places with me again. ...That's three." She placed the dark coins off to one side and left the 8 magical gold coins around the item.

The sun was almost gone, just a couple of minutes were left. She grabbed a writing instrument,made another note, then touched the item. "Please, I want to go back home. Please send me home to be with my friends," she begged of it.

A blinding light flashed in her eyes.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was dark outside when Guri stopped them while still on the mountain. She pulled out a scroll and said words that didn't mean anything to any of them, surprising Rick since it was obviously a magic spell. "Must be a language native to Cloud Giants," he whispered to Kate who was standing next to him while they held their horses' reins.

"You may enter one at a time, it is just like last time," she told them. Javi was first followed by Lanie, Kevin, Kate, Rick, and then Guri herself. Kate was amazed at the size of it as she watched Javi lead three of their horses through a door while Lanie and Kevin headed for a different door. Guri took off her armor and Kate saw something barely there carry it upstairs while she followed Lanie and Kevin.

"Give me your horse. Kitchen is that way, upstairs are bedrooms and...personal rooms. This is the living room and through that door is a large pool," Rick said as he pointed at various doors and took his and her horses and followed Javi.

Kate was interested in seeing this pool and would investigate later if there was a hot shower,something she would kill for. Once past the door she stopped suddenly. "Now this is a pool!" she exclaimed in pleasure. She wasn't yet sure but she was betting the far end had a hot water Jacuzzi that was elevated surrounded by rocks. The pool itself was easily a lap pool. "Now if we just had an exercise room," she sighed. She wanted this body in the same shape hers was in. If there was going to be combat she wanted Katherine's body in the best possible shape that she could get it.

She walked over to the possible Jacuzzi and could hear the bubbles even before she got there. She stripped down to her bra and panties that she wasn't a fan of. They worked but they just didn't fit like hers did. "Oooooh...Aaaahhhhh!" As Kate slid carefully into the water and let the jets hit her body she closed her eyes and relished the feeling. Her retirement home had something like this, though smaller, but none of her other homes did.

Kate was relaxing with her eyes closed, trying to unwind and calm her mind when she felt movement. She stiffened immediately, ready to kill whomever it was. Her eyes flew open and she saw an almost naked Rick slide into the water with her. He was maybe just a little too thin, but his chest was nice even if his arms weren't muscled though they were long and his legs were long also. "Mind having company? I've never seen anything like this before," he stated as he sank down into the water. "I could use the company," Kate remarked as she slid over until she was sitting right next to him, his hip and thigh up against hers. "Is this the same pool?" She meant as when her other self had kissed him.

"It looks the same but none of us came over here," he said and turned his head to look at her. She was instantly swimming in those blue eyes. "I..." Kate couldn't get her mind to work and soon found her lips pressed against his. She wanted his kiss so very badly and didn't even ask for entrance as she pushed her tongue into his mouth and started searching. Kate broke from the kiss only long enough to get some needed air before she went back to kissing him.

Kate was thrilled when she felt him return the kiss and found his tongue searching her mouth. She moved so that she was sitting in his lap while facing him and held his head in place while she kissed him. After a quick break for more air she kissed him softly while running her hands through his hair. Then she switched from kissing him to nibbling his ear followed by sucking on his neck. She went back to kissing him as she ran a hand down his chest, over his stomach and just kept going lower till she could feel him through the shorts he was wearing. She went back to nibbling on his ear while she worked her hand inside his shorts until she had his erection in her hand.

It had been a long time since she had felt a man or had even wanted a man. Kate could feel Rick's hands running all over her back as he nibbled on her ear. "I want you," she whispered into the ear she was nibbling on and began pulling his shorts off. She could feel his hands working at removing her panties.

Finally she had his erection in hand as she lifted up and placed his tip at her entrance; ever so slowly she lowered herself down onto his erection. They both groaned as his erection filled up her still very tight core. Kate just sat there for a moment getting used to having him inside her. "Move Rick, please." She wanted him but needed to know he wanted her too. He had just started moving while she worked at grinding herself on his erection when the door opened and the loud voices of Javi and Lanie echoed over the water. Kate slid up off of him and scrambled to find her panties as did Rick his shorts.

Javi and Lanie were too involved in their conversation to even notice them. Rick and Kate sank into the water and watched as those two stripped down and jumped into the pool. That gave Kate an idea. She reached into Rick's shorts to take his erection in her hand again and played with the tip. "Kate?" Rick questioned and warned her at the same time. "Shhhh, I want you and they aren't even paying any attention to us," she whispered as she stroked his erection.

Then the damn door opened again and in came Kevin and Guri. Kevin stripped down to his shorts while Guri simply stripped and jumped into the pool naked as Javi and Kevin's mouths dropped open. Guri was tall, but she was also built. Even Kate had noticed and took advantage of the distraction to sit in Rick's lap and work his erection back inside her. She placed a hand over his mouth. "Shhh, no noise," she murmured and started grinding with him inside her. The others heads were just barely visible above the rocks as Kate kept her eyes on them to make sure they didn't come this way. The others swam as Kate kept moving slowly on Rick's lap. It took time and the others had mostly switched to just floating around while Guri was doing laps.

Kate was nibbling on Rick's ear again. "I'm close, so very close. Come for me, I want to feel you," she panted. She hadn't felt anyone climax inside her for a really long time. Not since before her parents had been killed. "Come for me Rick...now!" She bit down on his shoulder to keep from crying out as he muffled a groan against his arm as he climaxed inside her.

Minutes later Kate was off of Rick, sitting next to him while still holding his softening erection in her hand. "That was amazing!" she whispered, exhilarated that they had had sex in the same room while the others never knew a thing. It was so exciting. So very erotic. "Your room tonight. I still want you," she told him and made him smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**K and K 16**

Kate snuck out of Rick's room as quickly and quietly as she could, feeling like she was a teenager again. She stepped into the attached bathroom that came with each room and found herself a mess with a smile a mile wide. Soon she was laughing over what she had just done. She had never in her life done what she just did and yet she was so damn happy. A giddy kind of happy and even now she could still feel Rick's arms and taste him in her mouth. She had given a few blow jobs when she was young and she didn't ever remember liking the taste of a man's semen like she did Rick's. There was just something about it that only made her crave more of it.

Looking at herself in the mirror she saw marks all over her body, especially her breasts and thighs, which wasn't a great surprise since Rick had spent a fair amount of time kissing, biting, and licking those areas. Kate ran her fingers over every area and replayed in her mind how she got them. It only got her to start laughing again. She saw her smile and saw herself laughing in the mirror. _'Who are you and what have you done with Kate Beckett?'_ In a way she didn't even recognize herself since this body, Katherine's body, was easily 12 years younger then her, if not 15 years younger. She hadn't looked like this in years and hadn't felt like this in, well, ever.

"Is she going to give me the 2 weeks I asked for? How often can I have sex with Rick in 2 weeks?" Kate asked the Katherine in the mirror but didn't get any answers. She didn't even consider that Rick would stop making love to her. That didn't even enter her mind. "How often can we do this?" Was 2 weeks each time enough or asking for too much?

"I can never be a Druid. It likely takes years of training plus you probably have to believe." Kate questioned how she was going to fit in. "I'm good at what I do but I need a weapon. I doubt these people even have gunpowder let alone a working AK-47," she said as her shoulders sagged, deflated. She searched her belongings for what she had or rather what Katherine had. Armor that didn't look like any armor she'd ever seen. A weapon she had never even tried to use before and a whole lot of other stuff in the backpack. "This thing reminds me of the TARDIS." It was bigger on the inside than the outside.

"This magic stuff seems to really work." Still it didn't solve her problem. Kate, however, was an expert in hand-to-hand combat as well as being proficient with at least a few weapons. "Now what about armor?" Kevin and Javi were wearing leather, could she wear the same when she was here?

"So many questions," Kate lamented to herself. Still she did appear to have a fair amount of money provided 7,820 gold pieces were enough to get her what she needed to help her friends and not take money from Katherine.

Kate kept Katherine's armor in the backpack and she kept Lanie's staff for now till she found her own. Katherine's scimitar was still at her side since she didn't trust the backpack to not get ripped from the inside by the scimitar's scabbard.

Javi and Storm were the first ones out just as the sun was starting to rise. Kate couldn't help but grin at Rick as they met at the entrance. "We didn't use protection last night," she whispered to him. However, the confused look on his face told her something else. "To prevent pregnancy," she whispered again. He shook his head. Now it was Kate's turn to be shocked. _'They didn't have the pill or even condoms in this world?'_ "Oh crap." She was going to have to be more careful to prevent Katherine from ending up pregnant. She knew a few tricks but they weren't nearly as reliable as the pill or even better, an IUD.

"Never mind." It was her problem not his, and she hoped it wouldn't be a problem because now after having her way with Rick she already wanted to do it again. She was young, she was horny, and she knew who she wanted.

They had talked without Guri during breakfast about Kate's idea of why they were being attacked. For that reason Javi, who was out in front, and Kate, who was now last behind Rick, knew to keep their eyes open for anything. They'd already had two encounters and were likely to have more before they got Guri into town. Provided that just making it there was a safe zone. None of them had much information on Silverymoon, except for it being a capital city.

They were making good time going down the switchbacks as everyone was on alert. They had even skipped lunch so they could speed things up a little. They had just reached the bottom. "What's that?" Kate called out looking back the way they had come. "MANTICORES!" Rick yelled answering her question. "Run for the trees, it will force them to the ground," he added, yelling loudly.

Just as they reached the trees with Guri and her long legs getting there first, they heard a roar and something almost as tall as she was stepped out from the trees. Kate had only ever seen something like it in fantasies. "Is that a real..." Rick finished for her. "Ettin? Yep," he confirmed.

"Leave the Ettin to me, you handle the manticores," Guri told them as she drew her sword and advanced on the really tall two-headed monster. It had an extremely large club in one hand that was even bigger than the ones the Hill Giants had used.

"Back up...draw the manticores into the trees." Rick motioned everyone backward then walked backward himself while taking a peek at where he was going. "Back, back," he kept saying as they could hear the sound of a fight not far away.

There were three of them and they slowly walked into the trees side by side as they whipped their tails around side to side. Rick waited until one of them had at least two trees on either side and cast his first spell: _Web_ _._ And one of them was instantly struggling with trying to free itself from the sticky webs. It roared in defiance as another whipped its tail and launched a number of tail barbs.

Kate was quick and slipped in behind a tree. She heard some of the barbs strike the tree while a couple whistled past her. She took a peek at the tree and saw barbs that were easily 10 inches long, if not a foot, that were partially embedded in the tree. "Shit!" They were impressive, even to her.

Next came Javi. He fired an arrow and watched it bounce off of its armored hide. "Okay, not that easy," he commented and nocked another arrow. " _NO STORM!_ " he suddenly yelled as Storm started to advance to attack. Fortunately the wolf turned around and ran to Javi. That had Kate calling for Dapper to keep him by her side. She was not getting Katherine's dog killed if she could help it. "Javi, wrong target with the wrong arrow. We need Lanie's help," she yelled to get his attention.

Lanie stepped up in front of Javi to give him cover as Kate did the same for Rick. "Where's Kevin?" Kate questioned softly since she hadn't seen him since they had reached the trees.

The other two manticores advanced slowly, flicked their tails, and launched another flurry of tail barbs. One set bounced off of Lanie's new shield while the other set found Kate twirling her staff as fast as she could and had all but one bounce off of her staff. The one barb she missed struck her in the shoulder causing her to cry out in pain.

Javi turned and changed arrows just in time to see Guri take a club to the side of her head that had her staggering and exposing her for another hit. He took aim and fired just as one of the manticores cried out in pain. He watched his arrow strike the vulnerable neck area of one of the Ettin's heads and watched as his free hand clutched at his neck. One head gurgled up blood while the other head whimpered and the Ettin fell to the ground.

The others saw Kevin suddenly show up out of nowhere behind one of the manticores. He shoved his dagger up its backside causing it to rise up and roar out in agony. The other manticore reared back on its legs and jumped straight at Kate who simply ducked and rolled beneath it. She twirled her staff then shoved the end straight into its underbelly as hard as she could causing it to roar in pain.

Javi dropped his bow and knelt at Guri's side. She was on the ground bleeding from her mouth and one damaged ear. The best he had was a _Cure Light Wounds_ potion so he pulled it out, lifted her head, and did his best to get her to drink it down. If they lived so would she. He gently lowered her head back on the ground, pulled both of his weapons, and looked to see what to do next.

Lanie swung her heavy mace and made a mighty strike connecting with the lower jaw of the manticore that had tried to bite her. She watched its mouth close as it bit its own tongue causing blood to leak out which made her smile. "Take that you ugly porcupine," she spat at it.

Kate watched a tight ray of flames race towards her and strike the manticore which caused its face to start bleeding badly. Looking past it she saw Rick with a smile on his face as he punched the air celebrating the success of his spell.

Lanie saw it coming and raised her shield to protect herself. She felt its teeth try and dig into her shield causing her arm to hurt badly from the blow. ' _Better my poor arm than my lungs or heart_ _,_ _'_ she thought.

Javi showed up in front of Rick, took a swing using his long sword, and was rewarded with slicing off one of its ears. It moaned about the pain as it was getting more and more bloody.

Lanie watched Kevin shove his dagger into its tender backside between the body and its tail and watched it collapse in a heap. She relaxed for a moment. ' _One down, two to go_ _,_ _'_ she thought in least the odds were more in their favor finally.

But there was a problem. The other manticore had freed itself from Rick's web and it was pissed as hell. It whipped its tail around and launched a number of barbs that flew past Javi and straight into Rick's chest. With a stunned look on his face, he fell to the ground, severely hurt.

Kate watched it all and screamed in fear. She took it out on the manticore that was still above her. She dropped her staff and shoved her open hand, fingers first, straight into the underside of its neck then closed her hand around what she found and pulled for all she was worth. She pulled out part of the manticore that coughed up blood and fell to the ground, pinning her under it forcing her to the ground.

Javi was the only one in range and swung with his two swords only glancing off its teeth doing almost no damage. However, it was just after that that two really large arrows whirred by striking directly in its nose, causing it to fall to the ground.

Lanie was on Rick in a second and cast two _Cure Light Wound_ spells one after the other. Guri staggered over to the others still bleeding from her ear. "We need to rest, we're hurting," she stated and pulled out a scroll. Soon a very hard to see large tent appeared which blended into the trees of the forest really well.

This time it really was a simple tent though it felt really nice inside. They pulled out sleeping bags after checking on the wounded. Lanie converted every spell she had into a _Cure Wou_ _n_ _d_ spell on Rick and Guri.

Dapper and Storm had stayed out of it like they had been told. Dapper was now rubbing up against Kate as she knelt next to Rick, stroking his face as he slept. For the first time ever she felt her heart hurting. _'I almost lost you'_ ran through her she failed to notice the tear slipping down her face.

Lanie walked up next to her. "He'll be fine. A little sore when he wakes up but there'll be no lasting injuries from this," she assured Kate. Still Kate made up her mind. "I'll be right back." And she pulled out the scimitar she hadn't used yet and went outside of the tent. Moments later she came back inside with the intact tail end of a manticore tail filled with barbs. Kate asked to borrow Kevin's dagger and began the careful extraction of each barb from its tail. She was thinking that maybe she could use them to throw at a target. If they did this much damage after being thrown, maybe she could too.

Kevin made it over to Lanie. "We need to see if the guy with two heads had anything worth taking with us." Fortunately Lanie hadn't taken off her armor and went with him. When they came back they had 120 platinum pieces, 111 gold pieces, and had left behind the 88 copper pieces. They also brought back a necklace that the Ettin was wearing as a bracelet. It looked a lot like the other one. This one had four small red orbs while the one they already had had just two. "Rick said it was a _Necklace of Fireballs_. You just pull one off and throw it and watch it blow up in a large ball of fire," Kevin explained as he put the new one around his neck while Lanie did the same with the other one.

"If Kate's right, we're going to need these," Kevin added getting Lanie to nod her head. "What do you think?" Kevin nodded toward where Rick was lying down on his sleeping bag with Kate lying practically on him. "I think Rick's in big trouble." Lanie was smiling when she said it and had Kevin chuckling.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Will you let me look!" Lanie wasn't taking no for an answer. "I'm the Cleric here! You took a nasty blow to the head and we're supposed to get you to that city, so just hold still." She grabbed Guri's head again and examined her ear while Guri sat there steaming. "You're fine," Lanie finally announced. "As I told you I was. We should go," Guri declared and exited the tent. "How is she really?" Rick asked wanting to be sure. "I'm pretty sure magic is involved, but she's right. She's fine," Lanie had to admit.

"All right, if Kate is correct, and so far it looks like she is, we need to keep our eyes and ears open. We can expect at least one if not two more attacks to take place before we reach the city," Rick reminded them. They exited the tent which disappeared the second the last of them left it. Javi was out in front with Storm out in front of him. Next came Guri with Kevin and Lanie right behind her followed by Rick with Kate immediately to his rear with Dapper next to her.

They were doing fine and would likely reach the city late tomorrow. Right now they stopped to eat lunch without a fire since it wasn't needed. Kate and Javi noticed there was something up with the dogs. Dapper and Storm were acting nervous. "Dapper, come here boy," Kate called him over. Technically he was Katherine's and not hers but while she was here he was. "What's wrong boy?" Javi and Storm had been eating what amounted to dog food since Kate had shown up since she didn't know how to set traps and he didn't have any practice at it.

Then Kate twisted her head. "Anyone else hearing that noise?" She tried to make sense of the sound and got up with Dapper next to her while Rick went with her. They were off the trail and into the woods a little. As they got closer to the trail even Rick started to hear it. "Sounds like horses running," he commented. "Go warn the others, this may be a mounted attack," he said urgently. Kate ran back to tell the others with Dapper at her side.

Kate had only just made it to the others and started to tell them when they all heard Rick yelling as he came running in still yelling, "GORGONS!" He was bent over sucking in air. "It's a small herd of Gorgons. They can stampede and trample you, you can be gored by their horns. Worse than that, their breath weapon will turn whatever it touches into stone. Arm, leg, entire body. Stone!" He only just finished telling them, fear running down Kate's back. "STONE!?"

"Who has the necklaces of fireballs?" he asked and didn't wait for a reply. "We're going to use them all; pull them off, hand them out, and get ready to throw," he instructed them and took his while only Guri declined and readied her bow with two arrows nocked and ready.

Guri fired as the front of a herd of 5 Gorgons came into view still running though slowed by the trees. "THROW!" Rick yelled just as Guri's two large arrows bounced off of its metal armored hide. No one spoke Cloud Giant, but they were all sure it probably translated into "SHIT!"

What they all saw were 5 fireballs blow up, enveloping the herd in multiple balls of fire though short lived. The firealls all looked like different sizes most of which overlapped others. The group could even feel the heat of it from where they were about 40 feet away.

When the fire dissipated they could see that all 5 of them were still standing and by standing that meant stopped in place. "RUN!" Rick yelled. He began running just as a green gas started snorting out their noses and blowing their way.

Kate knew she was fast but this was Katherine's body and yet she was outrunning Guri with even her long legs. After about 30 yards they all stopped and looked back and saw all 5 of them stomping and snorting as if they were pissed as hell.

"One left" Lanie held it up while looking at 5 standing Gorgons. "Throw it if they come this way when you're ready," Rick called out then began a spell and held it, waiting for the last word to be said just as all 5 Gorgons galloped their way again.

Lanie threw the last of their fireballs and they watched tensely as one of the larger fireballs exploded. However, when the fire cleared all of them were still standing though their metal skins didn't look so good anymore.

"FUCK ME!" Kate wasn't ashamed of the curse words she used. Especially when it meant they might all get turned to stone. That was when Rick said the last word of his spell and a large sticky web anchored to a few of the trees suddenly showed up covering the Gorgons. The problem was it didn't stop all of them, however Lanie was ready for them as she cast _Summon Monster II_ and got a huge beetle that instantly blew its own cloud of acid that hit the front three Gorgons who stumbled over themselves and fell to the ground.

That left two. The next one took two arrows to its side since the last two had to go around their dead brothers. Guri's two arrows caused it to stumble and fall. Javi's two arrows, one after the other, went into its side and they watched it falter and fall.

Kevin whipped each of them just to make sure they were dead. "Now we have to find our horses," Rick lamented not convinced that that task was going to be easy. And three hours later he was proved correct. If it wasn't for Storm and Dapper they might never have found all of them. They were finally back on the road though they were hours behind schedule.

"How far out are we from the city?" Kate was curious as she rode next to Rick. "Just under 2 days. We've lost a lot of time," Rick answered her. She sighed and thought. "Is it too dangerous to keep traveling on the road at night? All night long?" she questioned. "We won't see anyone until they, or it, are on top of us," he pointed out as Kate became silent. Then she asked, "How real are Gorgons? I mean they looked like they were literally made out of metal."

"A Gorgon is what is called a Magical Beast. Meaning someone made them," he informed her. To say Kate was shocked would be an understatement. "You're shitting me!? Someone actually made those things on purpose? To do what, run around and turn everyone into stone?" Just how stupid was this idiot?

"I'm sorry to say there are a number of Magical Beasts. Some less powerful while some are more powerful and nearly unstoppable," he told her. Kate fell silent again, thinking.

"Rick, tell me about Silverymoon, the city we are headed for. Is it a nice, helpful city? If we got word to them that we were escorting a senior diplomat that was going to open an embassy between her father and them, a father that has the power to destroy their city, would they send aid and maybe an escort into the city?"

Her questions had Rick smiling. He whistled loudly which got the group surrounding him as he announced, "Kate has a very interesting idea! If we send a runner to Silverymoon maybe they will send an armed escort to intercept us and escort us into the city. Her father is obviously powerful."

"If I fail to arrive my father will destroy their city, provided you and your theory is correct and my brothers are behind all of this," Guri added her 2 cents. "How did you know about... We've only discussed that in private," Kate said indignantly.

"I am a Cloud Giant and my hearing is excellent, plus I am not stupid. However, if you are correct, it is costing my brothers a small fortune. Not that they do not have the funds to do this, I know they do. I just never thought this about my own brothers," Guri said sadly.

"I suppose that means me," Javi stated since of the group he was the most capable rider. "Be safe Javi!" Lanie didn't want to lose him.


	17. Chapter 17

**K and K 17**

Guri elected to set up another camouflaged tent for all of them for the night. All except for Javi and Storm who were, as the rest got ready for bed, riding down the trail as fast as he dared in the darkness for the city of Silverymoon.

"Will he be safe?" Kate was worried about Javi while she rested partially on Rick's chest, not paying any attention to how or why she was, just that she was enjoying it. "They're after a Cloud Giant, not a Ranger and his wolf on a horse riding hard," he countered hoping that he was right. She went to sleep knowing that she slept lightly, always alert and ready at a moment's notice. It was just that she didn't have a gun under her pillow, though she did have her hand curled around one of those manticore barbs.

They skipped breakfast and were already on the road as the sun was coming up. This time Kate along with Dapper was out front while Rick brought up the rear, alone, save for Guri being just a couple of steps in front of him.

Kate was leading at a pretty good pace that had all of the horses galloping easily with Dapper staying just a little out in front of her. Guri was forced to jog to keep up. Her head was also on a swivel looking for anything. They weren't in the clear yet and that was provided getting to the city meant that they were.

Then she got word it was time to just walk the horses and give them a chance to rest. Kate cursed but she got down and motioned for Dapper to go out in front of her. She may not be Katherine but Dapper got the idea and trotted several yards farther up the road. He went back to walking while looking around and sniffing the air while taking peeks at Kate. Dapper definitely thought there was something different about her. She wasn't as loving as before and yet she still looked and smelled the same. He was loyal to a fault so there he was doing as he was told.

It was going to be dark in a couple of hours when Dapper suddenly stopped and started sniffing intently. He didn't like what he was smelling. One smell was familiar and it was a bad smell, while the other smell was new and he liked it even less. He growled as he looked around. It wasn't on the road exactly but it wasn't that far into the woods either. Dapper slowly walked toward the woods growling the entire way.

Kate may not have known much about Dapper, who or what he was, what he could do or what they meant to each other. However, she did notice that he was acting oddly so she got Guri's attention who was right behind her at the moment.

"Maybe if we ride hard and you run we can leave whatever or whomever it is in our dust. Catch them off guard and pray they can't keep up," Kate suggested. Guri nodded as Kate mounted; she got her bow ready and went back to inform the others.

Kate saw Dapper trotting her way while growling the entire time which she took as a warning. Maybe Dapper was more than just a dog after all. "Let's go!" Kate called out and spurred her horse to start running, forcing Dapper to change course and run instead of trot to keep up. Guri was next with Kevin and Lanie almost side by side while Rick was last. Because of this the last three could see two Ettins, each with a large tree limb in one hand along with a belt. But it was the "pet" with them that had Rick horrified.

Even on all fours like it was now, it was easily twice his height. He had read about them but actually seeing one made his blood run cold. Their horses were going to outrun the Ettins easily, just not their "pet." It was the largest hulking bear he had ever seen and it had bony ridges running down the length of its back. Its claws were the size of sickles; it had a wildness and destructive gleam in its cold, piercing eyes.

When Rick looked back he could see the Ettins and hear their roar that they were getting away, however they weren't getting away from the bear that was actually gaining on him. " **DIRE BEAR! ...AND IT'S GAINING ON ME!** " he screamed. He didn't have the skill to cast spells while riding a horse. He urged it to go faster, not that the horse didn't need encouragement. It didn't want to get killed by the bear anymore than Rick did. Fear can be a great motivator to run faster but the bear was gaining on him little by little. Rick had a wand that he pulled out, pointed behind him at the bear then said the command word.

Out came a fan of multiple colors that hit the bear and forced it to slow for a moment and blink its eyes. But it shook off any affects, roared in defiance, and began running as hard as it could.

Rick was pretty sure it wasn't going to work, but it was all he had on him without stopping, which was a really bad idea. Still the delay had gained him a few feet though he was quickly losing those feet.

Dapper was doing what he could to stay out in front of his best friend when he caught wind of something else that had him actually barking this time. "Great!" Kate didn't know what a Dire Bear was, only that it got Dapper to growl; what could possibly get him to bark instead?

Then she saw horses with riders - a lot of them. "OH SHIT!" They were being squeezed between a rock and a hard place. She pulled back hard on the reins getting her horse to stop so she could dismount. If they were going to have to stand and fight, might as well be able to fight. Her action caused all the others to pile up behind her just as the men mounted on horses charged past all of them. Kate and the others could see that all of them were wearing leather armor and most had bows out ready to fire.

There were also a couple of other men dressed casually that rode past them. Rick had spotted both were holding a wand out in front of them.

Bewildered, the group turned and watched as arrow after arrow hit the Dire Bear followed closely by two large lightning bolts that struck the bear causing it to finally roar out in pain.

The bowmen rode past while the other two simply stopped and kept their wands pointed at the bear. The bowmen did an intricate turn around passing each other from an opposite direction and fired their arrows yet again as they rode up the side of the road giving the other two men a clear field of fire who promptly fired another lightning bolt at the bear.

The Dire Bear reared up on its hind legs, towering over everyone and bellowed its defiance. A tight ray of fire flew past the two men with wands and struck the bear from the front while still more arrows struck it from behind. It was all too much for the bear as it roared out its final hatred of everyone and collapsed on the ground. Everyone in the party, including Guri, breathed again having watched Rick dismount quickly and cast a spell.

"I take it I'm in time?" a new voice called out causing Kate to jump out of her skin since the voice was right next to her. She and Lanie shifted in their saddles to look and Kate placed a hand over her pounding heart. "Don't do that again," she warned him as she reached over and gave his arm a soft smack. She and Lanie recognized Javi sitting on his horse with Storm greeting Dapper.

Lanie dismounted and pulled Javi off of his horse so she could wrap her arms around him and kiss him soundly. "Don't ever scare me like that again," she chastised him. "I'll try and..." He was forced to stop talking when she went back to kissing him.

"There were also two more Ettins back that way." Rick pointed toward the direction they had come from after they all got together. "We'll leave them for now, inform the city about them, and find out if they want us to come back out here to deal with them. For now we should get you into the city. The sun will be down soon," one of the guard that rode out informed them.

Soon half of the city guard was far out in front while the other half was far behind them with everyone else in one large group between them. Javi and Storm lead their little group while Kate and Dapper were last. As they rode, Javi recounted his journey into the city where he met the guards at the gate and was escorted to the main barracks. He stayed there until suddenly there was a lot of activity and he was ordered to follow them. Eighteen members of the city guard along with 2 wizards were dispatched.

"The Lady Alustriel is interested in meeting you. You will be the first Cloud Giant to ever enter the city that I know about," a guard told Guri. "The rest of you will be questioned; after that we will see what comes next."

The sun had been up for hours when they left the forest, entered a clearing, and could see the city wall and main gate in the distance. The group was not asked to pay an entrance fee since they were with the city guard and an Ambassador. Otherwise it would have been a copper piece per person. "If you will come with me, Mistress Guri. The rest of you will please go with the guard," one of the guards said. They watched Guri, the guard member, and the two wizards go farther into the city while they were taken to a building just off the entrance.

It was dinnertime when they were finally released after talking till they were almost hoarse. "Now where?" Kate questioned hoping someone knew something. It was then that they were told that the closest stable and pet storage was located on the other side of the bridge across the river. All of the inns were also on the other side. The finest inn for adventurers was a place called The Golden Oak.

They walked their horses with Storm next to Javi and Dapper next to Kate as they headed down the main street. Kate was used to a different kind of city, still she had to admit this city was lovely. Silverymoon looked more like a series of gardens or forest glades than a stone city. There were small tertiary streets rising and falling up and down hills to reach individual buildings. The city was actually quite quiet, had a nice smell to it, and they could feel a soft breeze blowing. And then they reached the river with the only bridge to the other side.

"HOLY!" Kate was really impressed now as was everyone else. It was an arched bridge that looked like it was made out of a rainbow of glass. It was easily 80 feet wide and likely 20 feet thick and had people, horses, and carts being pulled by mules or oxen crossing it even now. While they stood there looking at it with their mouths hanging open, they saw a large caravan leave a warehouse on the other side and start to cross. There were pack horses, carts being pulled by mules, along with a number of men and women on horseback who easily looked like guards made their way past them and headed for the gate they had just come from.

"Golden Oak?" Kate asked one of the men who looked like a guard. "Across the bridge, stay left of the market until you reach the city wall. Turn right and then right at the city gate and you'll see it. There's a stable just inside of the north gate," he told her and spurred his horse to catch up to where he should be.

She used his directions while the others followed. However Kate couldn't help but look to the right at each intersection to get a peek at what must be a huge market from which they were skirting down the side. It looked like the place to be.

Kate hit the wall then turned right until she came across the north gate and saw the stables on the other side on the corner. It was there that they left their horses and wolves at 1 silver piece per animal per day. Since they didn't know how long they were planning on staying they were told to pay in advance for one week and if they didn't come back after one more week their horses and wolves would be sold to recover their costs. They stayed long enough to see where their horses with the wolves would be stabled. "You stay and guard Dapper. I'm told you like meat so I'll be back later with something for you to eat." Kate was tempted to kiss his head, but she didn't. She wasn't Katherine. However she did scratch at his ears for a bit.

Finding the Golden Oak Inn was easy because it was just at the edge of the market and it was in a large multistory building. Stepping inside they found the business end and a person waiting for them. It was 2.5 gold pieces per night that included service each day. The doors were lockable as they were handed two keys, one for each room. The rooms had two dead bolts on the inside as did the shutters on the windows. There was a communal wash room with showers on the ground floor. An evening meal was served at tables in the atrium area. Each room had a wood stove for heat on cold nights. Staff would provide the wood on request and there were blankets for their use that were also cleaned daily.

If they were interested there was a wine tasting room in the basement that also served cheeses and other snacks. They had to reserve a place and pay 10 gold pieces at the time of booking. Kate immediately made a reservation for that night and handed over the money she would need for the week. The others simply paid for their rooms.

From there they stepped into the room area and found a large courtyard with a giant oak tree in the middle with numerous tables and chairs scattered all over, some had people sitting at them.

They soon found that all of the rooms were on the sides of the atrium with the second floor walkway having window boxes filled with overflowing ferns along with flower pots on the main floor. There were even oil-filled lights hanging from the giant tree over a lot of the tables, while some tables were hidden away under the walkway around the second floor.

They were on the second floor and found their rooms side by side. Inside they found rustic-looking beds and furniture along with some simple pictures hanging on the wall. Just as they had been told, the shutters were presently closed and locked in place. The door was lockable; they had to use their simple key to open it and they found two bolts to lock it in place from the inside.

There were three beds in each room and Kate was delighted to find that it actually felt like a bed she was used to though it wasn't perfect. There was a wood stove in the middle with a small amount of wood piled up against one wall. There was even a place to hang things and empty their bags. "This is actually nice," Kate said, mildly impressed. "It had better be nice, we paid a small fortune for it," Lanie complained. She wasn't used to paying that much for a stupid room, even one this nice.

They met the guys outside of their room. "Can we go to the market area now?" Kate so wanted to see what this place had to offer. "Just make sure you hide your coin deep on your person or you'll lose it to some little kid who doubles as a thief," Kevin warned her. "A child, really?" Kate questioned while she started moving her coin around to places even she found hard to reach. "Large cities typically have gangs of thieves that hire or more accurately use children to do the low level thefts, like cutting your purse strings then running away, handing it off to child after child until it finally makes it back to the boss where the child who stole it gets a little something for his or her trouble," Kevin explained.

"Sounds a lot like New York actually," Kate commented softly to herself. "Let's go." And she strode to the stairs to start her shopping or at least window shopping.

Kate was walking down one aisle of several and saw that this area was actually huge in size. There were tents, covered carts that reminded her of food trucks that were missing the horses to pull them, open carts, and places that had simple tarp covers. There were even little carts that reminded her of the small sales carts in the middle of a large mall.

There was jewelry that Kate stopped to look at. Clothing and handicrafts. Then they reached a food area were people sold things already cooked or things to take home and cook. Meats, some of which she didn't recognize, along with fruits and vegetables. There were even spices that had prices that had Kate choking in sticker shock. "No wonder the food around here is so bland," she said to herself.

She kept walking even though her stomach was grumbling a little. Why pay for a meal when she got an evening meal with the cost of her room? They finally reached the end of just this one aisle with merchants on one side and buildings of the city on the other, some of which were places to eat amongst other places.

It was here that Rick took Kate's hand and walked across the street into a small shop that had two Halflings working it along with two people looking at what was for sale. One was human and one was an elf. Kate stared at the elf till Rick snapped her out of it. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing...non-humans," she apologized softly to Rick and followed him as he walked around picking up items then putting them back. "Are you looking for something specific?" one of the Halflings asked as he approached them.

"I'm not really sure actually. My friend here is more Monk than anything else and she has a simple staff to fight with." Rick wanted Kate to have something that benefited her when Katherine wasn't there. "I'm afraid I don't carry weapons, just miscellaneous items. Perhaps slippers of climbing?" he offered instead and took them over to where they were located. To Kate they looked a lot like Native American moccasins from when the Pilgrims landed. She shook her head in refusal since she had learned from her friends that she was wearing magical boots.

"Monk?" The Halfling puzzled at what he could provide. "Oh, I know just the thing." And he hustled over to another area and met them half-way. "A _M_ _onk_ _'_ _s_ _B_ _elt_. It will improve your ability to attack and defend, increase your speed, offer another attempt at stunning an opponent." He held it up for her to see. To her it looked like a plain medieval monk's belt for his simple robes. "This thing can do all that?" She held it with two fingers and let it hang, feeling what little weight it had. "15,000 gold pieces. A bargain," he informed them. She tried to give it back to him immediately. 15,000 gold pieces was twice what she had but he didn't take it. "14,000 gold pieces. A real bargain." He was still happy at this price. It did tell Kate he was willing to bargain, so she decided to play his game. "5,000," she offered and the Halfling looked like he was ready to hurl at that price. "13,500," he countered.

Kate decided to add her own look of being ready to hurl. "I thought this was a store not a thief not the side of the road." She placed the belt in his hand and closed it around it. "12,000?" He was still making money off of this sale even though he knew it was worth more. The guy who had sold it to him had been desperate.

She didn't want to insult him or he might not sell her anything ever again. It was just that it was still far more than she had, not knowing that Katherine owed her friends for the vest she was wearing. "7,000 and not a single coin more," she told him. But by the look on his face she knew it was too little. Still he thought it all over and came up with a plan. "I will trade you. Belt for your vest?" the Halfling offered her. Rick leaned into Kate and whispered, "It's an heirloom of Katherine's Druid grandmother. She was on the Druid Council." Rick told her a white lie since he whispered just loud enough for the Halfling to hear. He was trying to tell her that the vest was worth more than the belt.

"BECKETT!? You're a Beckett?" The Halfling didn't mean to, but his mouth fell on the floor. He never expected to see another Beckett after the Druid Council broke up.

"Beckett!" Now he was giddy. "Belt, you take, you take. Beckett take." He shoved it into Kate's hands and ran to another section of his store while stopping at the other Halfling who was co-owner. "Beckett!" he exclaimed and pointed at Kate. He came running back carrying a cape that actually had colors sewn into it. He held it up for Kate to see. It had what looked like a whirlwind of smoke that was red in color that covered most of the back. It also had gold stitching along the edges.

" _Cape of Mountebank_. You dimension door once per 24 hours. See where you want to go and go there instantly. 5,000 gold for you. Less than half price. Honest!" The Halfling drew an X on his chest. "How do we know it's magic and does what you say?" Rick didn't want Kate to be taken. The Halfling took off a monocle that he was wearing and handed it to Rick. "You see."

Rick took it and placed it in front of his eye and instantly saw that damn near everything in the store was magical. It told him what each and everything was and what it did. Looking at the belt Kate was now holding, he saw it was indeed a _Monk's Belt_ and what it would do for her. Looking at the cape told him what it was and what it could do. Just beyond the Halfling was a necklace much like they had just used up two of that had his interest. He took the monocle back off and handed it back to the Halfling.

"Both do what he says they will. It doesn't tell me what the price of anything is," Rick warned her. "Less than half price, honest." And the Halfling shook the cape to try and get a Beckett to buy something from him. "5,000?" she offered. He immediately nodded. "5,000. Less than half price," he assured her and the bargain was struck. She dug out 5,000 gold pieces, making the Halfling happy. "You sign please." To her it meant nothing, to the Halfling it meant he had the signature of a Beckett. A family member of the Druid Council. He could sell it for thousands, or so he was thinking.

"What can you tell me about this necklace?" Rick held up the necklace he saw that was a lot like the ones they had before the Gorgons. " _Necklace of Fireballs VI._ " Rick looked at it and saw 4 small balls, 2 balls that were a little bigger, 2 balls that were bigger still, and finally one ball that was clearly bigger than any of the others. "For you, 4,000 gold pieces. Half price, honest. Always half price for a Beckett," the Halfling told him. 4,000 was half of what he had, but they had used up a lot of their firepower trying to kill 5 Gorgons. "Deal." And Rick pulled out 4,000 gold pieces and they walked out of the store with Kate wearing a new belt. She had to admit she did feel different along with a brilliantly colored cape on her shoulders while Rick put the necklace around his neck.

"There you two are." Lanie, Javi and Kevin finally found them after looking around for a while. "Come with me, half-off one item." Kate dragged all three of them back into the store for them to look around.

They only came out with just one thing. Lanie found a _Wand of Summon Monster III_ that only had 22 charges left in it so she got it for a steal of only 1,000 gold pieces. "You didn't tell us you were famous," Javi teased Kate once they were outside and saw Rick munching on a stick that had some kind of meat on it. "Didn't know, honest," she replied doing her best to try and sound like the Halfling getting the others to chuckle.

The sun was setting as they made their way back to the Inn so they could eat when Kate suddenly hid her eyes and then started blinking them rapidly to try and clear them.


	18. Chapter 18

**K and K 18**

Kate blinked her eyes several times and found herself staring out her window in front of her dining room table. She continued to stare out at the still partially frozen lake as her mind caught up to her surroundings. "I'm home again." She looked around and saw her kitchen and the living room beyond. "Has it been 2 weeks already or did she not give me 2 weeks?"

She looked down and saw the crystal basically right where she had left it, however, now it was surrounded by some of the gold coins. Three of them were sitting atop each other at the other end. She also saw new notes lying on the table while her notes were all stacked up over next to the coins.

It was what looked like a hurriedly written notation that caught her attention. _"Three dead coins leaving 8 coins left. Seven if this works."_ It made Kate curious since that alone didn't make much sense. Gold coins were just coins, weren't they?

 _Kate,_

 _My name is also Katherine Houghton Beckett. My father kept mispronouncing my middle name and it finally stuck. My parents were also Jim and Johanna. Maybe it really is a small world. I was taught to be a Druid by my grandmother on my father's side_ _,_ _Alexis Beckett. She used to be on the Druid Council of which there were ever_ _only_ _12 on the council at one time._

"Well that explains the shop owner and why he was so keen on me being a Beckett." Kate at least understood that now.

 _Yes,_ _I_ _went into town and got used to riding your snowmobile. I used your black card for everything. I still don't understand why they kept giving it back to me. Your town is bigger than my little village was before the Orcs and Trolls showed up and destroyed it, killing everyone including my parents._

 _I learned a lot in your town and_ _I_ _have to say_ _-_ _please don't be mad_ _-_ _but_ _I_ _don't much like your world. Maybe it's just where_ _I_ _am, or maybe it's because_ _I_ _still feel so lost here. I've given you your 2 weeks and I'm_ _begg_ _ing you not to ask me to stay here again. I hate it here. I call this place a prison because it feels like one._

 _I've found that the crystal skull, at least that is what it looks like to me, is magical as are the_ _gold_ _coins. I'm guessing here, but_ _I_ _think the two are related. I found three dead coins and 8 that were still magical. When you used first used the skull it used up a coin, when_ _I_ _used it, that used another_ _coin_ _. You get the idea._

 _If you_ _'_ _r_ _e_ _are standing here, and_ _I_ _hope you are, it means that now there are only 7 magical coins left. No magical coins and we stop trading places._

 _What I'm asking of you is to not trade places until you no longer live here. Move to this beach house you talked about and then you can use up one of the coins. PLEASE! I don't know how long that means but_ _I_ _don't want to be back in_ _this_ _prison again._

 _Next page_

"So we are different after all. Or at least we used to be." Kate didn't want to wait the three months it would take before her seaplane would show up to take her back to where she flew in from. She would call Simon and have him fly her to Fiji when she returned to the airport. She had come out here to get away from her nightmares and to be alone. No access to more possible job offers. No more excuses to make more money.

"Three months." It was going to kill her, but she had started this exchange by accident and it sounded like it was hurting Katherine even if didn't hurt _her_. She was starting to feel different and it felt good. "RICK!" It also meant no more making love to Rick. Would he make love to Katherine thinking she was her? And if he did or didn't know and did have sex with Katherine, could she live with that? "Rick is mine. Please don't take him from me." She sat down and put her face in her hands.

She hadn't felt like this...well, ever to be honest. She had grown up alone and spent her life alone. Now because of this magical thing she had a chance to see what her life could be like if she had made different choices. With Rick in the picture she was liking this new life. A lot actually.

"Three months? ...Where is that satellite phone?" Kate got up from the table in search of it.

Kate had worked out that it was now February 2016 instead of just inside of 2016. It made her 37 now until November. She was only guessing that Katherine was 22 at the youngest, though 24 felt more like it. Thirteen years between them if she was right.

She dropped the satellite phone on the sectional where she saw a different book sitting on it with a note sticking out of it. _Geis of the Gargoyle_.

' _I love these books! I'm guessing you do_ _,_ _too. I would love to be able to finish reading them. Who knew panties had that much power over men_ _!_ _'_

"Wait until she figures out how much power cleavage has over men," Kate chuckled. "Just keep your hands off of Rick."

Kate found the living room, kitchen, and bathroom were clean. "So she knows how to clean, too. I've seriously underestimated her." Kate was smiling widely. The dishwasher was empty as were the washer and dryer. Also there were no dirty clothes lying in the corner of the bedroom. "If I had a roommate, I would be happy to have her." However, Kate did find that her wine stores were rather depleted.

Now Kate wanted the next 2 months till the pilot was willing to try flying in and landing on the lake to pass quickly! She picked up the satellite phone again. "Simon, it's Kaye," she told him.

"Ms. Kaye. I trust everything is going well?" he inquired since he knew she was all alone in her house in Canada. "Everything's great actually, thank you for asking. I've arranged to leave a month early. I want you to meet me at the airport exactly 2 months from today. We will be flying to Fiji so make arrangements. You can leave or stay since I will be staying there for several months if not longer. You can bring your girlfriend if you wish and she is willing to come," Kate added as an enticement.

"I'll ask her. Thank you, ma'am." Simon still didn't know where this side of Serena Kaye came from, but he was liking it. Not that she hadn't always been kind to him, just that she was usually more business-like in her dealings with him. This was a welcome change. "I'll be ready when you are, ma'am." Simon ended the call then phoned his girlfriend with the news. Maybe she could put in for a week of vacation and spend it with him in Fiji.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was walking down an aisle with people selling all kinds of things on either side. Plus there were a lot of people looking at what was for sale. She was walking roughly next to Rick with Javi, Lanie, and Kevin out in front of them a bit just as Lanie stopped to look at something.

"I take it we made it to the city?" Katherine asked softly while looking around and down at herself noticing that she wasn't wearing her armor again.

"Silverymoon, but then you know..." Rick suddenly stopped. "Kate or Katherine?" he asked quietly. "Katherine. I think we just changed places again. I suppose you have a lot to tell me since it's been 2 weeks this time instead of just a few days," she said.

"It's been a very memorable 2 weeks, that's for sure." Rick meant the combat but it also occurred to him that in those 2 weeks he and Kate had become lovers. Katherine was Kate. At least they both looked the same though they didn't act the same.

Rick started remembering what Kate had told him when he admitted that he had kissed Katherine. Was it going to be 2 weeks again; longer or shorter? Katherine when he looked, was right next to him and yet there was something he couldn't put his finger on that told him she wasn't his Kate.

"I can tell you that your grandmother, Alexis, hasn't been forgotten in this city. Kate gained a magical item that you are wearing." Rick touched the belt that she only just now saw. "He also sold you something at half price." And he pulled the cape that was flowing behind her around for her to see. "I'll tell you about them at our Inn."

"Dapper?" Katherine asked because she didn't see him and her heart ached for him a little. "He's stabled with the horses and Storm. We owe both of them some meat. We can pick that up in the food area as we walk then go over to the stables before going to the Inn," he informed her which made her happy.

It took some work but Katherine finally found where Kate had hidden her...their... money and paid the vendor for the steak she and Javi bought.

"DAPPER!" Katherine was down on the ground hugging Dapper who welcomed the affection. Maybe she was just moody since she looked and smelled the same as ever. Still he wolfed down his steak in no time and decided to play with her since she was in a good mood again.

It was dark when they left Dapper, Storm, and the horses after Katherine said hello and goodbye to hers, noticing that he was looking better and seemed glad to see her.

"Kate is more a Monk when she fights and can't cast spells, so that belt you are wearing is supposed to double her fighting ability," Rick explained while they ate under a light hanging from a giant oak tree. Katherine had been amazed at the place so far. It was really nice here. "The cape you are wearing allows instant travel to anyplace you can see, within limits. Say you want to be up there on the walkway while standing way over there. In an instant you can be up there instead of down here. It only works once per day and it leaves a little puff of smoke in each location," he said.

"And Kate spent half of my money buying this thing?" Katherine complained. She had had plans for her money. "It has its uses Katherine, don't discount it just yet. She also spent 500 gold pieces for a jar of seasonings. Essentially you name the herb, spice, or flavoring and for the next 24 hours it will dispense what you named in a never-ending stream. We stay here long enough and you might be able to earn back all of that money by pouring out a different herb, spice, or flavoring each day and selling it." Rick told her.

"You're out money for the moment, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Plus I got the idea that Kate likes her food spicy," he added. That had Katherine remembering all of the little seasoning jars at Kate's home that she had been using. With that information Katherine wasn't so put out about being short 4,500 gold pieces.

She searched for and found the little jar. "Salt." And she opened it and sprinkled out some salt onto her meal and offered it to her friends who did the same. "This is actually better," Lanie announced and ate with more enthusiasm.

The next morning Katherine woke in the same room with Lanie. They got up together and went to the common cleaning room and found that the shower was cold but the tub was warm. However, it also had just been vacated by someone else so they elected to take a fast, cold shower. No, there was no running water, unless they counted the water the workers were filling the barrels above them with as running water. The used water did find its way into the river.

They went shopping in the market place and Katherine purchased a number of empty pony kegs. They took turns holding the seasonings jar and emptying the select herb, spice, or flavoring of the day into each pony keg. They had left it to Katherine and her time at Kate's house cooking using herbs, spices, and flavorings to select the first herb, spice, or flavoring that they would sell: 6 pony kegs of Vanilla, followed by 6 pony kegs of Saffron, then 6 pony kegs of Cinnamon. After that they would talk and choose another seasoning.

They were actually making good money off of their seasonings kegs. They were even getting requests from the person they sold the first ones to. The debate was about should they give him what he was asking for or just keep offering what Katherine told them about. The worry that Kevin had was about being robbed or having their rooms searched. If he was asking for a certain spice that meant he must really want it and perhaps wasn't willing to pay for it. In the end they stuck with what Katherine talked about. They sold 6 pony kegs of Cloves, followed by 6 pony kegs of Basil, then 6 pony kegs of Oregano.

Rick arranged to memorize two _Arcane Lock_ spells so that both of their doors would remain locked until he removed the spell, allowing them to leave some of their more expensive items in their rooms when they went out to sell their pony kegs.

"Now what?" Katherine asked. Sure they were making money and spending it on their rooms and stabling the horses and the wolves. "I'm wondering what happened to Guri? We went through a lot to get her here," Rick pointed out. "If she's part of the city government now that likely means she's in or near the Palace," Lanie offered. They all knew where that was located by now since it was nine days later. "We could at least go ask at the gate," Javi suggested which had them carrying out their last 6 pony kegs of Oregano and selling them for a tidy sum before moving on to the gate.

After nine days they were getting used to walking their area of the city. It was just too large to know every little road but they knew where they were going easily enough. "Please wait here," they were told at the gate after telling the guard what they wanted and who they were.

It was taking forever and they were starting to wonder if they were being deliberately ignored when suddenly Guri herself showed up at the gate. But she didn't come outside and the guards wouldn't let them inside. "I'm happy to see you doing well. I've been busy. Dealing with politics is not what I thought I would be doing with my life, however my father needs me."

"I've been in contact with my father and told him of your theory about our encounters. I have yet to hear anything back from him. I'm sure everything is fine," Guri told them. Katherine and the others didn't suspect anything amiss. "We're staying at the Golden Oak Inn if you need to reach us," Rick said, not sure what they could do for her since she was likely very safe in this city.

"I will keep that in mind, thank you for your concern." Guri actually shook Rick's hand then turned and left.

They sat down to eat their evening meal while they handed around the seasonings jar to give their food a little taste. "What's that?" Kevin asked as Rick unfolded the tiny piece of paper. "I don't know but Guri passed it to me while we shook hands," he said as he continued to open the note. "Sneaky," Kevin remarked, impressed. "So what does it say?" Lanie demanded. She was dying over there waiting for Rick to open his not-so-tiny note.

"She wants us to wait another 3 days and find something waiting for us in the stable where Dapper's located at the end of those 3 days along with a letter," he informed them. "Sounds suspicious," Javi pointed out. "Guess we find out in three days," Rick replied and cast a simple lowest level spell and burned the note on his empty plate.

The next three days went by so ever so slowly. Still they used them to fill another 18 pony kegs with more seasonings that Katherine suggested: Chives, Cilantro, Ginger.

Javi and Katherine went alone to the stable like always to check on the horses and spend time with Dapper and Storm. Hidden in the hay was a small box, about 9 inches long and about 4 inches on each side. Katherine did her best to hide it in her clothes till she got back to the men's room where everyone was waiting.

"Let me see it first," Kevin asked and had it handed to him. He checked it over carefully. It appeared to have an outer sleeve; he slid the box out and looked it over. "It's locked and just not with a keyed lock. It's more like a puzzle," he informed them and worked on the puzzle till he finally pulled the top on the end open and let two items slide out. One was a scroll case while the other item looked like a tiny horn of some type. Bigger than a whistle but much smaller than a trumpet. It was obviously a horn of some type since there was a place to blow into it.

Katherine leaned over to Rick to look at the scroll as he opened it. "Blank!" she remarked, astonished. She didn't understand why. "It's not blank," Rick countered. "But there's nothing on it," Katherine stated again. "I can see words," he insisted. "It states her father isn't answering her and that he should be able to. She fears her brothers have done something. Likely stolen the communication device," Rick explained.

"How does she expect us to do anything about it? We were lucky to get in the last time," Katherine retorted. "Apparently she has anticipated this. She says there will be a way to reach her father inside the tower in the mountain town of Relfrin," Rick told them. "All the way back to where we practically started," Lanie moaned.

"So what is this thing?" Kevin asked as he held up the item. "It says that it's a _Bronze Horn of Valhalla_ and when Javi blows it, it will instantly summon a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 8 human barbarians who will fight for us. However, it's only usable once every 7 days," Rick informed them and kept rolling out the scroll. "Interesting, she has wound the scroll around a wand," he told them as he looked it over.

"What does it do? Is there a note somewhere?" Katherine asked him before he cast a spell. Rick looked over the scroll front and back. "Ahhhh, it says it is a fully charged _Wa_ _nd of Stoneskin_. A _Stoneskin_ spell means it makes the recipient's skin as hard as stone making it difficult to hit you. Very strong spell," he said, impressed. "Wait." Rick read something else and began working on removing the gem on the end of the staff.

"What are you doing, trying to do break it?" Kevin asked as he began to panic.

"The note says it's removable and that it's an _Elemental Gem_. You throw it, it shatters, and will instantly summon a large Fire Elemental to fight for you," Rick replied. He was smiling wider as he held up the fire red gem. "Fire Elemental?" Lanie questioned.

"Elementals are creatures of nature. There is earth, fire, water, and air. They range in size from small to elder. Weak to unimaginably strong. Large is somewhere in the middle," Katherine told them. She looked at the faces looking at her. "My grandmother told me. I am a Druid you know," she reminded them since Kate the Monk had been with them earlier. "Earth is physically the stronger of the four types, however fire is nice. It means there will be a small amount of extra damage as their clothes catch fire," Katherine added. "Or they are susceptible to fire."

"Now what do we do?" Javi wondered. "We need to go shopping. We need food for the trip along with horse feed. With Katherine with us we can feed the wolves fresh meat if her traps work," Kevin stated. "And we have more money now than we've ever had. Maybe a shopping trip to our friendly Halfling who will give us a discount on what we buy," Rick suggested.

They suited up and left their nice rooms, getting a refund for the days they didn't use then headed for their friendly Halfling where they did some much needed shopping.

Javi - _Belt of Giant Strength_ easily doubled his strength making his ability to hit someone and do damage much greater. 8,000 of his 10,000 gold pieces.

Lanie - _Winged Boots_ allowed her to fly for a short period of time every 24 hours. 8,000 of her 10,000 gold pieces.

Kevin - _Gloves of Dexterity_ doubled his ability to open locks and anything else that dealt with using his hands. 9,000 of his 10,000 gold pieces.

Katherine - _Ring of Blinking_ when activated she would appear to be moving all over the place making it hard for someone to hit her. 10,500 of her 11,000 gold pieces.

Rick - _Wand of Summon Monster III_ it would summon a monster of appropriate strength for a _III_ that only had 24 charges. 3,000 of his 10,000 gold pieces.


	19. Chapter 19

**K and K 19**

They left town in their normal marching order: Javi was up front with Storm out in front of him. Kevin and Lanie were next riding mostly side by side with Rick next followed by Katherine with Dapper at her side.

They were approaching the gate when they were stopped by a woman riding her own horse complete with saddle bags and backpack. "Where are you going and may I come with you?" she politely inquired while next to Javi and looking at Kevin. Both Kevin and Javi were staring unabashedly at her and couldn't take their eyes off her. She was used to it and overlooked it since she really wanted to leave the city with either someone or a group, not go it alone. To her way of thinking it was too dangerous to travel alone. Especially for her.

Lanie and Katherine were not unaffected by what she looked like, just not as taken by her as the men. Katherine jabbed Rick in the ribs to get his attention.

She was positively gorgeous; her top was stretched to the limit and the buttons were sure to pop any minute. To say she was a healthy woman would be an obvious statement. "I'm Jenny and I'm really looking for someone safe to travel with," she said. Her smile was almost blinding to everyone but Lanie and Katherine, not that they didn't notice it.

"Uhh...sure," Kevin finally spoke while Lanie and Katherine's mouths opened in surprise that he would just say yes without talking with them about it. "Thank you so much. I'll do everything I can to help in any way possible. I'm lightly armed in case there's a fight though I try to avoid them," Jenny told them.

Lanie found herself up next to Javi while Jenny took her spot next to Kevin. "What do you do? You're likely not a fighter; Sorceress or Wizard perhaps?" Kevin asked her while talking to her chest. Jenny simply smiled since she was used to men not looking her in the eye but suddenly Kevin did. "Weapons?" He didn't see any. Jenny reached between her almost exposed breasts and slowly pulled out a dagger. It was a nice one, maybe even better than the one he himself had. It was then that he noticed her long nails that looked almost lethal as well as sharp. Jenny was armed all right - in more ways than one. "Sorceress, I'm guessing," Kevin offered again since she was really pretty - drop dead gorgeous in his opinion.

"Thanks!" Jenny smiled at him. "I do know a couple of spells but I'm not a Sorceress. I sometimes wish I was but I've never found anyone who can teach me or find my inner power to cast those kinds of spells. No, I'm a Concubine and am pretty good at it if I do say so myself," Jenny said then smiled at Kevin. He melted as he switched from staring at her eyes to her lips. It had taken a lot of will power to lift his eyes off of her breasts and now they were stuck on her luscious lips. _'Snap out of it Kev, so what if she_ _'_ _s a Concubine_ _?_ _She's...'_ "You look a little different somehow," he remarked unable to figure out why. She had the body of a human mostly but she was thin and her skin was like silk.

"I'm half-elven. My father fell in love with an Elf and I was the result. My mother's family didn't want me around so my parents left my mother's community and raised me among humans. They were killed in an Orc raid and I was captured. Fortunately I managed to escape. I learned to be a Concubine to support myself and live. I'm not sure my parents would be happy with my choice, but it's been a good life so far and I have money," Jenny told him. She also had a few magical items, some bought and paid for, some stolen. She even had a couple that she didn't know what they did. If she was lucky she would find out one day.

Kevin was thinking "City girl out here in the country." He just hoped letting her come along with them back to Relfrin didn't get her killed. She seemed so nice.

Javi was being careful since they were in the area of where they had encountered those two Ettins and their pet. They had already run across what was left of the Dire Bear and found that he had been skinned. "You fought a Dire Bear!?" Katherine hadn't heard about that. "Sorry, it must have slipped my mind, and it was the city guard and two wizards that killed him," Rick admitted. "I take it his skin is worth something?" he asked. It hadn't occurred to him that it would be. "Worth about double what a normal bear skin's worth. The bony structure makes it unsuitable for floors though," Katherine informed him.

Storm had no problem finding the dead bodies of the two Ettins. However they also found two human-sized graves. Javi was down on one knee looking the graves over as well as the dead bodies. "Looks like they won but it cost them. The simple shields suggests human fighters. I'd say at least a week ago if not 2 weeks. Unless they're really slow we won't catch up to them," Javi pointed out.

Once again Katherine went out to set traps like she had done the last couple of days while the others set up camp and gathered wood to cook with. "Should we have a fire?" Jenny asked nervously. Needless to say after seeing the dead Dire Bear and Ettins, she was a little worried. "Whoever is out in front of us is clearing the road for us. Hopefully they can handle what comes their way," Javi explained. "Storm and Dapper will alert us before anything gets too close; we're fine," Katherine added.

Kevin noticed that Jenny took off her cape and converted it into a one person tent that came with a mini fire pit which had a fire in it that never went out. It also came with a meal and a gallon of hot tea. Plus her sleeping bag was just like all of theirs. "I earned these," she told him sounding defensive. "I'm not questioning how you got them, I'm just glad you have them," he told her, not taking offense at how she sounded. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to... I'm sorry," she murmured. Jenny settled in for the night after stripping inside her tent.

"Anyone smell that?" Javi questioned which got the others to try and notice. Lanie, Rick, and Kevin shook their heads. "A rain storm is headed our way. We need to work fast," Katherine said and stood to go into the forest along with everyone but Jenny.

"All we have are swords so stick to timber pieces about this size and cut them down. Go get Jenny. She can help weave lengths of rope from these plants. We'll be able to use them to lash the wood together," Katherine said and started chopping plants to make the rope.

Kevin returned with a partially dressed Jenny who was beyond sexy. Her attire, or lack thereof, had the men distracted save for Kevin. "I've never done this before," Jenny had to admit. "Watch what I do," Katherine told her as she took three stripped pieces and began plaiting them together. "Ohh, like doing a braid for your hair!" Jenny exclaimed. She caught on fast and got to work. She only needed Katherine once so she could see how to add the next length to the first one and was soon showing Lanie who couldn't use a sword. Javi and Katherine did all the chopping while Rick and Kevin started using the completed rope to lash all of the pieces together.

They were just laying on the last layer of dried grass and lashing it to the timbers when it started to sprinkle as the wind picked up. "We need a ditch all the way around it to divert the rain," Katherine told Javi and began digging using her grandmother's beautiful scimitar while Rick used Lanie's staff to help as he followed first Javi and then Katherine.

The sudden sound of thunder warned them that the storm was imminent. "Everyone outside, we need dry wood for the fire in the center," Katherine said, urging them to hurry. Then she ran out into the forest. Rick was the last one back, returning for the second time with an arm load, when the rain reached them as he crawled in through their little opening. It was tight quarters. Jenny's tent with her little fire had to be placed just right, but they had a nice circular shelter made of tree limbs the thickness of Katherine's arm for walls and roof. Dried grass was stuffed into the walls with a double layer on the roof.

The rain caused the temperature to fall so they started a small fire in the center with the smoke going out the tiny opening at the top. "This is nice," Jenny remarked. She was impressed even though she had every intention of sleeping in her one person tent. "My grandmother taught me how to make it. This one is bigger than the ones I made, but it should be the same. I'm only worried about the weight of the roof," Katherine replied. She had to make adjustments on the fly for a large enough shelter.

Night fell and it was really dark save for the two fires. Thanks to Storm nosing him, Javi woke up to find Katherine digging a trench around the inside. "Too much rain getting in through the walls," she told him as she created a small opening in the wall for the rain to flow out.

Come morning, if it could be called that, they found it was still raining relatively hard with a fair amount of wind. "It's holding up well," Katherine said, proud of herself. The roof was holding and except for one tiny leak where the roof joined the wall, it was perfect. It was the walls that were the problem. The wind was blowing the rain against the wall. Water was seeping in, running down the wall into the internal trench as well as the one on the outside. It had forced everyone to move in closer to get away from the outside wall.

"What do we feed the wolves? We only have just so much dry food for them and we need to check on the horses," Javi said. That was another reason why everyone was sleeping almost on top of each other. Their saddles were stacked in one area with their backpacks piled on them or leaned against them. "I set traps before it started raining," Katherine pointed out. "I'll go. Just tell me where to go," Jenny offered and slid back into her tent where they could see her moving around. Then she dropped her backpack out the front and turned her tent into a one person rain suit, complete with cap.

"WOW! I've never seen one of those before," Rick enthused. He liked it. "I've found it comes in handy when I don't have the money for a room or the inn doesn't have any rooms," Jenny explained. She pulled on a pair of boots and listened to what Katherine told her, making certain to take her dagger with her.

"Maybe I should go look for her?" Kevin offered since Jenny had been gone for a while. "You seem rather taken with her," Rick teased. "She's a city girl out in the wilderness," Kevin defended himself as he bundled up and started to crawl out just as Jenny started crawling inside pulling Katherine's catch with her. Their faces were now just an inch apart and Jenny smiled a wet face smile that only showed how supple and luscious her lips really were. Kevin swallowed hard. "I was, I mean you were taking too long and I was..." He knew he sounded like an idiot.

Jenny smiled again which did nothing for how Kevin was feeling. "Thanks, that's sweet. ...May I come in now?" Most of her was still getting rained on. "OH, RI-RIGHT, s-sorry!" he stammered. He scrambled backwards to give her space. Jenny shoved in several dead raccoons and crawled all the way inside. She converted her rain suit back into her tent, went inside to change again then laid down inside and poked her head out like she had been doing.

Javi and Katherine got to work gutting and skinning the raccoons. One third went to Dapper, one third went to Storm, and the last third went on the fire for their meal. "I didn't know how to reset the traps so I left them. At least all three had something in them," Jenny said gratefully.

"Thanks." Katherine really didn't want to go out there and get soaked to the bone. "We should look into finding a tent like what Guri put up using a scroll. Maybe something more permanent than a simple spell," Rick suggested. "Maybe our friendly Halfling has something when we go back," he added.

It rained all day and they found themselves with a problem. "I really have to go," Rick announced. "Me too," Lanie added. "Me three," Jenny chimed in as they watched the others nod. Jenny went outside first wearing her rain suit and came back and stripped while the others kept their backs turned. "Okay, who's next?" Jenny was mostly dressed, giving everyone a good view of her cleavage which was impressive.

Rick took it and had Jenny help him get into it then went outside returning moments later. He stripped while everyone kept their backs to him. One at a time they went outside. Dapper went outside with Katherine and Storm went outside with Javi.

"Great! Now the place smells like wet dog." Jenny held her nose as did Lanie. "Better than the alternative," Javi pointed out which earned him a swat from Lanie though she was smiling when she did it.

It rained all day and all night; they were forced to repeat the rain suit shuffle again. However they were running out of dry wood. Going out to get wet wood wasn't an option. Katherine threw on the last log just before sunrise and started cooking breakfast while she could.

They were eating. "You hear anything?" Rick asked and saw confused faces, not understanding what he was referring to. "No rain," he said in relief. That got everyone to look up and remain quiet to listen. They didn't hear even a single drop hitting their roof. Everyone clambered outside to look around. There were still clouds but it wasn't raining and they could see hints of sun and blue skies in the distance over Silverymoon. "We need to clean the horses before we can ride them," Katherine reminded them. "And feed them since they haven't had anything for at least 2 days, except to nibble on the wild grasses." she added.

Everyone combed then brushed their own horse. Then they gave them something to eat while they unloaded their hut. "We're going to need to go slow in all this mud," Javi warned them since he didn't want the horses to slip and come up lame. Katherine and Lanie were more than capable of making all the drinking water all of them needed each day. The only trick was getting it all to go in various containers to hold it.

Riding a horse while walking was still faster than walking themselves though they did dismount and walk to give the horses a break. The day passed uneventfully and they were camped for the night after Katherine set another three traps. Come morning they had 2 possums to skin and gut for the wolves and a little something for themselves. Katherine was getting used to cooking while eking out what they had to feed everyone since there was an extra mouth to feed.

It was 2 days later and they were approaching the switchbacks to climb the mountain on to reach the pass that lead to the town of Relfrin. Javi held up his hand suddenly when Storm stopped and growled but continued onward. They inched their way forward ready for a fight. "Why is nothing moving?" Kevin asked Javi who was up front. He shook his head indicating that he didn't know.

It took them an hour to tour what they had found from end to front. "You don't suppose?" Javi questioned looking at Rick who nodded and said, "Gorgons most likely." What they had found was that every person and horse of the caravan that had left the city of Silverymoon weeks ago was now stone or mostly stone. Some of the horses only had their legs or other sections turned to stone.

Katherine was in tears as she soothed each horse she came across that was still alive but would never walk again. "I'm so sorry, so very sorry," she whispered. She kissed them, petted them, and fed them a bit of carrot then did her best to kill each one with one swift stroke.

The others were searching the horses and carts for what they were carrying when Jenny found Katherine sitting on a rock with her head in her hands crying heavily. She had done what she could, but it didn't make it right. Jenny knelt in front of her. "You had to. There was no other choice. It was better than letting them suffer," Jenny said as she placed her hands on her arms. "They were innocent, they deserved better." Katherine looked up and let her tears flow.

"What would you do if it was Dapper?" Jenny questioned her. Katherine looked at Dapper knowing she would do it for him too, just that it would break her heart even more. It also had her petting him and scratching between his ears. She was still sniffling and wiping away tears when the others joined them.

"I think we can transfer a lot of what's on the horses onto ours and walk them all the way into town. Maybe we can find someone who will buy it off of us while we're there," Rick offered. "If we don't, the next person or group will. Three of us can cast detect magic and we can start with that. It will take time but it might be worth it," Rick said.

He turned out to be right. It was close to four hours later and they had skipped lunch in order to finish and get moving.

They had magic potions, armor, shields, weapons, scrolls, bracers, amulets, and boots. The other non-magical stuff they found made Katherine smile as she had them load all of the far east fabric bolts that they had found. She knew how much those were worth. They had even found some pony kegs of their own spices they'd sold.

They were forced to leave a lot of it behind because they didn't want to overload their horses, plus the caravan was larger than their own numbers. They just didn't have a choice.

Katherine kissed each solid stone horse she came across and had even found 2 solid stone guard dogs. It did allow her and Javi to replenish their dry food for the wolves as well as load up all the horse feed they could carry.

Katherine was last with Dapper next to her as she started up the mountain and gave what was behind her one last look. Stone people and animals were everywhere. She hadn't even bothered to talk to the live horses. It was obvious what had happened to them, and she just really couldn't bear to hear their pain. Seeing them in pain was already too much. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "Come on Katherine, the Gorgons could still be in the area," Rick warned her and got her to start walking, leading her horse up the mountain side.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It took them three days to go up the mountain and they slept where the road widened out far enough for them to hold the horses in place and set up a cold camp. They continued to take turns staying up during the night to keep watch. Those additional Gorgons, assuming they were different Gorgons, might still be in the area. It was anyone's guess where they had gone after attacking the caravan.

"The guy who was nice enough to give me directions was probably down there somewhere, turned to stone," Katherine lamented feeling sorry for everyone. "There's a cure for Lycanthropy, maybe there's a cure for being turned into stone," she said, praying to her god that there was one and it would be used on all of them, including the horses.

Katherine woke Javi who had the last shift before sunrise. They continued on up the mountain, walking still since their horses were still heavily laden with stuff. They were thinking they should make it to the pass and the town of Relfrin just before night fall.

The horses were getting tired; Katherine and Javi had noticed it and brought it to the others' attention. "The pass entrance is just another few switchbacks," Rick said as he pointed above them. "You and Katherine should probably go ahead of us in case there is trouble ahead. Lanie and I will walk your horses with ours," Rick offered then took the reins Katherine was holding while Lanie took Javi's.

Javi and Katherine with Storm and Dapper jogged up the remaining switchbacks till they reached the pass entrance. They had only just started entering when both wolves growled softly, not liking what was in front of them. Javi and Katherine stopped and she unsheathed her weapon. "Better stay here with Storm and Dapper," Katherine told Javi. "You stay boy," she commanded. Then she activated her _Chameleon_ _R_ _ing_ and almost blended seamlessly into the side of the mountain as she slowly entered the town. Katherine had never been in this town so she didn't know what to expect but everything was quiet with no sound coming from either direction, ahead of her or behind her.

She took her time and entered the town where the farmer with the burned face had been. Still she saw and heard nothing. She kept to the wall and only moved out into the open when she was forced to. Staying up against the side of buildings, she reached the location of the burnt out silversmith and then the smithy and his family. She tested the forge. "Cold," Katherine whispered to herself not liking it.

It was when she turned at the building that she saw the first person she had seen so far. Except that he or she, since she was looking at their backside, was solid stone. _"_ _ **OH NO!**_ _"_ she cried in anguish.

Katherine had been gone for almost an hour and Javi was getting worried and had started walking in with the wolves with him when soul weary-looking Katherine, with her head hanging low, came walking out in full view. Javi could see her grief, the tears rolling down her face. "They're all stone Javi. ...All of them," she choked out. Javi was shocked into non-action and silenced trying to make sense of what she had just told him.


	20. Chapter 20

**K and K 20**

Kate had spent the day closing her house and couldn't even take a shower come morning. She had also spent some time hauling her garbage bags down to the dock and securing them in place. She was a firm believer in packing out what she'd packed in. And she didn't have a landfill to bury them in so they were going to get flown out.

She had also packed the remaining Xanth books that Katherine hadn't gotten around to especially since she didn't have any of them in Fiji. Come morning Kate turned off everything else except for the refrigerator/freezer and wine cooler. Not that there was much left in it. Katherine had done a real number on it.

Kate was all bundled up and standing on the dock as she watched her twin prop sea plane fly over her and wag his wings at her causing her to wave back. She watched him swing around and go far out only to do it all over again, only this time he turned the opposite direction and flew back out again. The next time he came in low and landed close, slowed his speed, and almost drifted up to the dock where she helped him tie the plane down. "I really appreciate this," Kate told him. She had already agreed to a big tip to get him to try this a month early. "You're lucky that this winter hasn't been as bad as the previous years," he informed her.

It took almost no time to load the plane since she was leaving with a lot less than she had shown up with. Kate sat next to him wearing one of the headsets so they could talk. "How was your stay?" he asked her. "Enlightening, very enlightening. Though I'm ready for some sun and surf now," she told him even though what she wanted was to go back. What Katherine wanted was sun and surf and Kate was going to give it to her.

The truck was waiting for them to haul her garbage away; also a taxi was waiting for her and what little luggage she had. The taxi took her straight to the airport where she found Simon and a women she had never seen before standing there with him talking to her. She was tall with darkish red hair that reached well past her shoulders. Even from that distance Kate could tell that her eyebrows were the same color. She was dressed very nicely in heels, skirt, and a top. Kate had no use for lipstick, however the woman had pouting kiss-me red lipstick on.

"Simon it's good to see you. I presume we are ready to go?" she asked. Kate really wanted to get moving. "The plane is fueled and checked out. Our flight plan has been published and we're all set. Ma'am this is Dina Meyer, Dina this is Serena Kaye...my boss," Simon said as he made introductions. "I wanted to thank you for letting me come along," Dina told her. "I don't know many bosses that allow their employees such latitude." Dina had been impressed and intrigued the minute Simon had told her.

"I usually allow Simon to stay with me instead of just dismissing him. I don't always know just how long I'll be staying once I get there. In this case I plan on staying for at least several months. I see no reason why Simon can't enjoy his stay no matter how long he ends up staying. He mentioned you earlier; I have the room and it doesn't cost me anymore to add one more person."

"Which reminds me, I've gotten you a rental home to stay in. It even comes with a car. You do, I hope, still have your international drivers license up to date?" Kate asked directing her question at Simon. "Yes ma'am, everything is up to date," Simon confirmed. "Great! Then let's get loaded up and in the sky," she said then picked up her small bag and headed for the stairs. "In a hurry?" Dina questioned. Kate turned her head to look back while pausing. "You have no idea," she commented and stepped up into the plane. "Sounds like a guy to me," Dina mentioned so softly that only Simon heard. He knew of no man in her life, but chose to remain silent. Dina was thinking that this was going to be a very interesting trip.

Dina chose to sit up front in the co-pilot's seat and watched Simon take off and fly the plane while she watched every move he made. To her it all looked like practiced ease. "Where are we going?" she asked over the headset she was wearing. However Simon didn't answer her and all she heard was mostly nothing. She waved her arm to get his attention. "Sorry, I was talking to the tower," Simon explained.

"I was wondering where we're going? Likely you have to refuel before we get there," Dina questioned. "Technically we don't, we have the range to fly straight there. However per Serena's request we will be stopping to refuel before continuing on to Fiji. In this case it will be Sea-Tac in Washington." Simon told her while looking at her. "There are no storms in our flight plan but that doesn't mean something won't come up. If we refuel before we get there we'll have options. The Pacific's large and we can't land on just any airstrip," he explained. "So she dictates how we fly," Dina mostly whispered to herself though Simon heard every word. "It's her request, however it's my choice on where we refuel. In this case I prefer Seattle to Portland or San Francisco. The flight plan's better," he told her, which also told Dina a little something and confirmed a little more why she liked Simon.

"Call me if you get bored or tired and want someone to keep you awake," Dina told him as she took off her headset and unfastened her seat harness. On her way out she gave him a quick kiss so as not to distract him too much then couldn't resist and kissed him once again on his cheek while smiling at him. She slipped through the door and closed it behind her.

She found Serena sitting up front in an individual chair with a wine glass in her hand while she stared out into space. It didn't look like Serena was paying any attention to her so she just watched for a moment. "The wine's in the refrigerator and the glasses are in the cabinet," Serena called out while still not looking at her. Dina smiled as she considered everything she knew so far and decided to help herself to a glass just as Serena had offered.

Dina sat down in the opposite chair with a small table separating them. "You and Simon," Serena began, "I didn't know he was seeing anyone."

"Simon is...interesting. Kind and complicated all at the same time. A puzzle that I find interesting," Dina told her. Serena smiled. "I found him in one of those Veteran help places by accident. He had been there for a number of months, was being discharged, and didn't have anywhere to go. I sat down and talked with him for a while. It was there that I learned he used to fly fighters and had been shot down three times only to turn around and go right back up there. One thing lead to another and together we chose this plane. I paid to send him to flight training school to learn how to fly it alone. He's still hurting and yet he doesn't show it," Serena shared with her.

' _Unless you know what to look for,'_ Dina thought since she had already figured that out. "He's looking for something," Dina mentioned since she had figured that out.

"More someone than something or someplace." Serena thought she understand Simon.

"So what do you do?" Serena sipped her wine. "I'm self-employed with my own business," Dina told her.

"Profitable I presume?" Serena was sure it was profitable. What she was wearing already told her a lot. Dina was obviously into taking great care in what people saw when they looked at her.

"I do alright. ...You?" Dina turned it around on Kate.

"I'm also self-employed though I don't actually own a business and it's profitable...obviously." Serena motioned with her wine glass at the plane they were in.

Dina was guessing it had cost her millions to buy the plane, provided that she _had_ bought it. However Dina's thinking was off by only a few million dollars. However, she knew better than to guess aloud or ask.

"He must like you if he offered to bring you," Serena mentioned. "Actually you offered for me to come. Simon simply relayed the information. So why did you?" Dina asked her, really interested as to why. Her question had Serena smiling. If she wanted to play this game Serena would give her something to think about. "Simon is my only employee and I don't want to see him hurt. He's already had a lot of that in his life." ' _I want to make sure you don't hurt him'_ was the message being sent.

"I don't want to see him hurt either. He's so dynamic. One day he's all gung ho and willing to take charge. An hour later and he wants to relinquish control and have someone lead him. He relishes in both." Dina was thinking of the day they had the very day he told her about this trip. She had secured him in place, whipped him, and then licked each spot. She had kept it up till he was heavily marked and had climaxed into her hand which she licked clean in front of his face. That was followed by releasing him and she immediately found herself pinned to the bed. He pounded himself into her followed by him using a rose and telling her everything he wanted to do to her body. Except for the touch of the rose he never touched her and still she orgasmed the second he blew on her clit.

It was just last night that she was hooked and admitted to herself that she had finally found a man that confounded her. He let her be Lady Irena then be the woman she hadn't been since her early teenage years, not questioning any of it. She was falling for him and she knew it. What she wanted from Kate was another powerful woman's perspective on him. She hadn't listened to her heart in years.

"He hasn't spoken much about his days in the military. It appears to be painful," Dina mentioned. "He was physically wounded a couple of times. Nothing life- threatening or enough to ground him for long. When you gain enough of his trust for him to tell you about the rest then you'll know he cares about you. He's a good man though," Kate said. She now knew that she knew more than Dina did which told her a lot. "I'd like that," Dina admitted to Serena and herself.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate got right to work the second she entered the front door after taking a taxi to reach it. She had promised to call Simon at least 24 hours ahead of when she wanted to fly, but in all honesty she didn't know if she would be leaving for months if not years. Maybe Katherine would be interested in flying in a plane. Just how does she explain her alternate identity that Simon knows about?

She found the car still connected to the battery charger so she disconnected it then tried starting it to find that the engine turned over perfectly. Satisfied with the car she went into the house and brought it out of its hibernation. It was stuffy inside so she opened all of the windows before even thinking about turning on the various A/C units in each room.

 **2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE Luxury** \- $55,440, nine speed automatic, 4WD, can tow 4,409 pounds, Aintee Green Metallic with Panoramic roof.

Next she walked down to the boat dock to check out the boat that was still in the boat lift. The dock had access to deep water, however, her boat wasn't really all that big. It was big enough to have some fun in and could outrace almost anyone should the need arise.

 **Marine Technology MTI-V 42** \- It had four Mercury Racing 400R engines off the back at 400 HP each, total weight of 15,900 pounds, MPH of 255. There was even a small lounge area below the front deck.

It had cost her thousands to have the boat lift built big enough to handle her boat. All of the covers were still intact so she left it then went inside the house to look at her food options. As expected she had very little.

The first thing she did before going shopping was to pay her American Express bill. It was there that Kate found out just where Katherine had used it. "She wasn't kidding, she used it to purchase everything," Kate said smiling widely. She was just a little stunned that none of it amounted to much. She made some adjustments and put several million into her account so that she didn't have to worry about what Katherine did with the card anytime soon. Then she opened up a local bank account on line and put several more million into it. "There, that should hold her," she murmured as she wrote down all the information that Katherine would need to access this account for any reason.

Satisfied, she picked up the keys and went shopping. She ended up having to fold the back seat down to hold everything. It had actually taken her two trips through the store and countless trips from the car into the house let alone the time to put it all away.

After that she shoved everything she could think of into the washer so it would be fresh. It took her three loads but she filled the time making herself some dinner followed by putting all of the Xanth series of books that Katherine hadn't read yet onto the shelves.

This house had a different set of books. It still had every book Harry Turtledove had ever written along with every book Patterson had written along with those written by Clive Cussler. It was then that she came across a pair of books that she had forgotten about. _Derek Storm_ by Richard Castle. The discovery had her frozen in place. "You have to be shitting me!" she exclaimed in disbelief. She pulled one of them down not remembering having even bought them. His picture on the back cover told her what she needed to know. "It mostly looks like him. Mine's a little thinner in the face," she remarked. However his blue eyes were still there though maybe just not as big and bright as her Rick's. She couldn't see the rest of him since it was just a head shot. She had an Apple computer and internet access and told herself she would go looking later. Right now though the dryer was calling to her.

A trip to the pool told her that the maintenance people had been doing their jobs. The back patio and the pool were all clean of any debris. Since it was a big house she decided to let them continue. She would just have to leave Katherine a note about them.

It was a 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom home with a two car garage and Direct TV along with the required Blu-ray player. It was on 1,659 square meters of land that she owned. The home was divided up into 5 pods with four of the pods having a large Damanu ceiling with tropical hardwoods. Garage, living with dining and kitchen, master bedroom, two spare bedrooms, and back patio.

This kitchen was much larger than the other one in Canada. For starters both refrigerator had large freezers on unit was twice the size of the one in Canada that in of itself was quite large. The wine cooler was equal in size to an average refrigerator complete with a glass front; even now it was only half full after her shopping trip. Kate knew she would need to make another trip just to get more wine. At the rate Katherine drank it this wouldn't last her a month. The pantry was equally as large and was now almost full.

Kate spent the next two days getting more supplies including gas in portable containers. Unlike Canada she didn't have any toys here. She had considered getting a jet ski but she had never actually stayed here long enough to need one or enjoy one, and she wasn't going to get one now.

Kate looked around a week later and walked the house, car, boat...everyplace she could think of just to make sure that all of her notes were in place. She had a lot to tell Katherine and notes were the best way for them to communicate. However Kate had one more trick up her sleeve and made sure that her laptop was plugged in and was on with the video she'd made using the built-in webcam; it would be the first icon Katherine would see. Neither had actually seen the other except for Kate's international drivers license that had her picture, still this was more than just a picture.

Kate chose the back patio just as the sun was setting to place the crystal skull and the eight gold coins around it. If Katherine was right only 7 of them were still magical except that Kate didn't know which one was now dead. That meant that if or when this worked, they would be down to just 6 coins. Six coins to get answers to a lot of questions.

Kate had also spent a lot of time doing research. Where and the time Rick was in they didn't have birth control, antibiotics, or countless other things. However she knew there had to be herbal options. Making penicillin was probably out, plus she couldn't write it all down and take it with her so she had to memorize everything.

"Six coins left after this, so I don't need to memorize everything this trip. Just do the research for as much of it as possible and keep the websites in my bookmarks," she said to herself as she kept reading the first topic: How to not get pregnant while still fucking Rick's brains out.

' _Try to avoid sex during the 10 to 16 days of your cycle after the start of your cycle. For most women the first 7 days before your period and the first 7 days after are generally the safest times.'_

That made Kate think. "Shit I'm right in the middle of my cycle." She sagged, almost deflating like a balloon. It meant she needed to stay put for at least another 2 weeks before leaving because she was going to attack Rick and make love to him the first chance she got.

" _To prevent pregnancy: soak a thin slice of sponge in tansy oil. Insert it into the vagina as far as you can reach. Remove the next morning after having intercourse.'_

' _Extracts of a plant called Asafoetida can be used with nearly 100% effectiveness in preventing pregnancy when given within three days of mating.'_

Kate made a quick note to Katherine for her to try and find this plant and give it to Rick, or maybe Javi was good enough to find some.

' _Wild Carrot Seed can be used if an "oops" occurs and unprotected relations take place during the fertile time. One teaspoon taken immediately and continued each day for another 7 days prevents implantation of the fertilized egg.'_

' _For antibiotics, use garlic infused with wine, chopping or crushing the garlic and let sit overnight. Or use vinegar. And then there is honey.'_

"Wine and honey should be easy to find," Kate said to herself.

' _Pour honey liberally over and into a wound. For scrapes and abrasions, paste it on and then cover and seal.'_

' _For pain relief, Willow Bark. Simmer the bark stripped from twigs and drink as a tea. Ginger Root, cut up and boil and drink while still hot. Make a paste out of it and place it in a cheesecloth then place on affected area for 20 minutes.'_

' _Valerian Root is nature's tranquilizer.'_

"Now that's simple enough to remember." Kate stuck with memorizing the pregnancy prevention items for now. She didn't want Katherine ending up pregnant because of her actions.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was another hour before Rick and the others made it up the hill and into the town only to find out that everyone was made of stone. "We need to be certain that the Gorgons have actually moved on," Rick cautioned as Jenny walked up to one of town's residents and tapped a finger against the stone.

"This is real stone." Jenny looked shocked and scared at the same time. "And what's a Gorgon?" She was being brought up to speed as they took their horses over to the stables they had used last time. They actually found three horses in their stables eating what was left of the hay that they had. That turn of events had Katherine smiling widely as she petted each of them and split her last carrot into three pieces then she went looking for the grain and checked on their water. Their own horses were now unburdened and in stalls getting combed and then brushed while being fed hay, saving grain for later.

"We need to do a thorough search of the town and see if there's any living beings besides these three," Rick told the others. It took time but they searched every room of every building and found most of the town's inhabitants closer to the other entrance where they had come into the town the first time.

"The Gorgons must have moved on out of town out the other side and down," Rick said, giving his opinion as to the Gorgons' movements. That got all of them to step out and look down the switchbacks that were on this side too. They all looked for movement but saw nothing. "Would they stop because they're tired?" Katherine asked loud enough for everyone to hear her. Rick shook his head and replied, "They're not really alive so they don't tire - ever." But he also didn't know what would make them come back up there if given the option.

"Guri said the tower was where we needed to go so we could contact her father," Lanie pointed out which had them walking that direction with Jenny bringing up the rear since she kept looking back at the town's stone figures. "Pure stone," she muttered. Dying was something she wanted to avoid, and dying from being turned into stone was now added to the top of her list of how not to die.

"Cloud Giants? What do Cloud Giants look like. Is it anything like those two?" Jenny asked getting all of them to turn their heads. They saw two male Cloud Giants, both in armor with large bows, arrows in a quiver, and swords in their scabbards walking into town from the direction of Silverymoon. What was worse was that there were two more just like them walking in behind them.

"OH CRAP!" They scattered to hide amongst the buildings. But in doing so they were a little spread out from each other now. Each prayed they hadn't been spotted.


	21. Chapter 21

**K and K 21**

Little by little they watched the four Cloud Giants walk through the town and only stop when they came across the first citizen of the town that had been turned to stone. They stopped there for a moment before the first two walked on past to a larger group stone statues. Some of them saw the first two while the rest saw the last two topple over the stone statue and watched it shatter into a million pieces. The Cloud Giants chuckled a little then walked on.

Katherine slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out in horror. They had just killed that person permanently, provided there was a way to turn them back into flesh. She kept her ring working, went around the corner, and followed them to the other two. It was there that she joined up with Jenny and Javi who were standing side by side. Neither noticed her as they took peeks at the Giants.

Katherine could just make out that they were talking. "He's complaining about not having any control over the Gorgons," Jenny told Javi and Katherine at the same time, not that she knew she had done so. "The other one is reminding him of the process to create them," Jenny added. "The first one wants to know how to recall the Gorgons back here and on the road toward Silverymoon," Jenny translated. "He can't," she continued.

Javi was staring at Jenny as was Katherine. "A good Concubine knows as many languages as possible. Though I'll admit I never thought Cloud Giant was ever going to be a useful language, but I had a chance to learn it so I did," Jenny said as she shrugged her shoulders. She didn't bother to explain how she knew their language but not what they looked like.

It was then that all four of the Cloud Giants' heads turned their direction. "Uh oh!" Javi whispered softly and ducked back behind the building where they were. Suddenly Jenny's movements had their interest as she popped several of her buttons, dropped her shoes onto the ground, then took a deep breath. She stepped out and found all four Cloud Giants just a few yards away from her.

Neither Javi or Katherine could see what she was doing since that would have meant exposing themselves. However Rick, who found himself all alone, had a decent view of her actions. Jenny was speaking in a language that Rick didn't understand but it was a match for what the Cloud Giants were speaking. He also had no problem seeing that what they were looking at were not Jenny's eyes. _'God, are all men the same?'_ he wondered.

Jenny had their attention as she talked to them, or more accurately her breasts had their attention. But as Rick watched it looked like an argument was starting and Jenny was waving her hands and talking. Only one of the Cloud Giants was doing the talking now. Suddenly Jenny smacked him in the chest then turned and walked away while the Cloud Giant looked shocked then yelled something back. Jenny simply made a gesture that to Rick resembled her giving him the finger. That had two of the Cloud Giants laughing while the one doing the talking turned on them causing them to shut-up.

They were still grouped nicely and had no weapons out so Rick took a risk. He yanked the largest red ball off of his necklace, said a silent prayer, and threw it. It landed perfectly, right in the middle of them, and blew up in a massively aggressive, short-lived fireball. Two of them actually had their clothes catch fire which had them slapping at their clothes to put the fires out. The other two drew their swords and started looking around. However, by then even Jenny was not to be seen.

The sound of the explosion had gotten Storm and Dapper to come charging out of the stables where they had been left and told to stay. They immediately started barking, issuing a warning to their owners and friends. That gave Rick the time to pull the next largest red ball and throw it which resulted in another large but short-lived fireball which engulfed all of them.

Lanie did her part and cast _Summon Monster II_ and got a fire beetle that immediately attacked and missed its target badly. It gave Katherine an idea so she cast _Summon Nature's Ally I_ and got another wolf just like Dapper to attack but it missed its target as well. The two Cloud Giants that had weapons out had a chance to each swing at what was close and killed both of them in a single swipe, partially slicing each of them in half.

The combat got the four of them to stay close to each other allowing Rick to throw yet another large red ball that blew up nicely in a brief fireball. By now all four of them were looking a little burnt; it also got them to spread out farther, diminishing the damage another fireball could do.

It wasn't until two arrows from Javi bounced off their armor that the Cloud Giants spotted anyone, getting the two with swords out to run his direction. Javi was forced to drop his bow, activate his shoes, and hold his position.

Katherine cast another _Summon Nature's Ally I_ and got another wolf. Her wolves were nothing to the Cloud Giants but she was hoping it would at least keep them busy. Unfortunately, just like last time her wolf missed badly and was cut in half when one of them unsheathed his sword and took a single swing.

Javi was starting to worry as those two had just about reached him when suddenly something he could barely see, like it was made of clouds or maybe a shadow of something, suddenly showed up and grappled with one of them causing the other one to stop and look to help his friend. However as he did so Kevin showed up and shoved his dagger deep up the Cloud Giant's ass since he was that tall in relationship to Kevin. The Cloud Giant cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

Javi was grateful for the distraction. He took a short step then swung thrice, striking one of the Cloud Giant's legs each time. It was the first time Javi felt the power his belt provided him with the amplification of his boots. Javi's three swings literally removed the Cloud Giant's leg from his body, causing him to fall while still in the grip of his assailant.

Lanie, who was still hiding, saw something that drew her attention. What she saw was the three story tall tower briefly look different. It had a door facing in her direction with at least one window on each level. Then it went back to looking like a solid stone tower. But she was too busy to do anything about it. She pointed her new wand of _Summon Monster III_ and a Bison appeared which charged one of the Cloud Giants hitting him low in his leg. The result was a lot less than she hoped for. In one swing of the Cloud Giant's sword, it was struck in twain lying dead on the ground. "SHIT!" Lanie exclaimed, hurrying back to hiding behind her building.

What she didn't realize was that she had given her position away and had attracted the attention of one of the Cloud Giants who was coming her way. He had just started moving toward her when there was a sudden extraordinarily resounding thunder clap that rattled everything. It was accompanied by a lightning bolt that when it cleared, revealed an even larger Cloud Giant with a beard who was both weaponless and without armor. **"ENOUGH!"** he roared. His voice was almost enough to burst ear drums.

"Father, these humans..." however he was interrupted. **"SILENCE!"** he thundered out the word causing everyone to be mute. "You two are a disgrace and a disappointment. I knew you were hurting when your mother left us, I just never expected this of you," he said as he shook his head. "I don't know what you've been told Father but these humans..." He was quickly silenced when his father backhanded him causing him to tumble backward, falling to the ground. "The humans I sent with your sister have told me nothing, however your sister's silence now makes sense to me," he bellowed at his sons.

"I had the gem studied and found that it was fake. I allowed you to expose yourselves and your intentions. Your actions alone have condemned you both." They watched him point after a wave of his arm and saw a very tall mirror suddenly appear. "You two are banished for as long as I live. You will step through the mirror into one of the 666 layers of the Abyss," he commanded them.

"Father, you know that would be certain death!" one of them protested. They were Cloud Giants and would be completely surrounded by Demons in every direction. "You can step through and take your chances or you can be judged for your actions," he informed them as he waved his arm again. Suddenly a very large metal monster was standing there. Hearing his sons suck in a sudden breath told all of them that whatever it was, it was greatly feared. **"CHOOSE...NOW!"** he demanded glaring at them.

They both looked at each other and shook their heads. Stepping through was probably not actually sudden death. More than likely they would be captured and tortured for fun until they finally died, weeks if not months later. "Very well, accept your judgment," he intoned. And he motioned to the humanoid-looking metal man who walked over to each of his sons, touched each one, then disappeared.

What he left behind was a normal Skunk and a normal Porcupine, both of which vanished in a tiny puff of smoke. What they didn't know was that they were teleported in opposite directions for hundreds of miles, never to see each other or their family ever again.

"HERMAGE, my thanks for your involvement. I owe you," the elder Cloud Giant called out but received no reply, not that he was expecting one. "As for you, I thank you for all you have done for my family and my loyal daughter. Speak of two things and they are yours," he promised and looked at each of the group.

"All of the occupants of this town were turned to stone because of your sons," Katherine spoke up first since what happened was hurting her heart. "How do you know it was my sons? Where is your proof?" he challenged her. "Gorgons are Magical Beasts and this is the second time we have encountered them. The first was escorting your daughter into Silverymoon. It is possible that she could have been turned to stone in the attack. Gorgons have to be made, they are not natural to nature," Rick informed him since he had read about them.

They watched what he was thinking play over his face till finally he reached behind him and threw a bag at Katherine. "Sprinkle a pinch on each person and it will restore them," he informed her as she opened the diminutive bag finding three small jars inside it. "Thank you," Katherine breathed, clutching the bag to her chest. Life instead of worse than death. Lifeless stone till they were too broken to bring back to life.

"We need something to house all of us in our travels. Something to keep the weather out and keep us safe. Something that can be easily transported," Rick asked trying to think of something that would benefit the group.

The elder Cloud Giant paused, thinking before reaching behind his back and throwing something to Rick who caught it. "I will contact my daughter and inform her of the actions that took place here." In another thunderclap with a bolt of lightning he was gone.

"And who is this Hermage?" Lanie questioned but got nothing back from the others. Katherine looked at everyone and started walking toward the statues with the bag of cure in her hands. Rick meanwhile opened his bag and found a note explaining what it was he held.

 **Daern's** **C** **amouflaged Instant Tent** \- It is 20 feet square with a never-ending fire pit in the center with a smoke hole in the top. It comes with eight cots and space for supplies. It is always temperate within and is resistant to fire, acid, and electricity. It is immune to the effects of cold.

It looked like a simple piece of fabric that was folded into a triangle.

"I think Guri had us stay in something like this on the way to Silverymoon," Rick told everyone but Katherine who was by now too far away so she didn't hear him.

They stayed in the Inn for free as did their horses and wolves until the morning after the Cloud Giants' confrontation. They were owed it for saving every member of the town that had been turned to stone. Katherine even had a few pinches left, not many but a few. Say five or six perhaps if she was careful.

There was a group of city members waiting for them at the exit leading back to Silverymoon. "Our town would be dead and us with it without you. While it was the Gorgons which did this to us we have little to offer as our thanks. However what we can offer is the written deed to several adjacent pieces of land in our little town. It is yours to do with as you please. Perhaps one day in the future you will decide to retire and live out your lives here." And he handed over the scroll that held the written documentation. They now had a home, or could have, if they chose. "May your gods smile on you everywhere you go and for all the good deeds that you do."

"Who is Hermage?" Rick asked since the Cloud Giant had mentioned him. "We know not that name, he is not someone who lives here," they were answered. Still Rick took a look at the tower that remained unchanged. Guri had told them the person inside would be able to talk to her father. Yet there was no way in and no one had seen him. But where had that one spell on one of the Cloud Giants that Javi and even Lanie had talked about come from? That spell was far too powerful for even him though he found out this morning that he now understood some of the spells in his book that he hadn't before.

Lanie and even Katherine hadn't as yet confessed that they too had gained access to more powerful spells that their gods had granted them.

Rick took a quick peek at their land before mounting his horse. One of the sites was the burnt out area of the Silversmith's shop while the other two were adjacent to each other with one being next to the Silversmith. It meant that they could tear down what was there and build new if they chose. Rick had no idea what it was worth if it was sold, however he liked the idea of them having a home to come to even if one of the buildings had been gutted by a fire.

Rick held up the scroll. "Thank you, we'll talk and perhaps one day you'll find out what we have decided," he declared and walked his horse like the others were doing. The town of Relfrin just didn't have the money to buy what they had taken from the caravan.

They met again at the switchbacks down the mountain that lead into Silverymoon. "If we take these things back to Silverymoon the people that sent out the caravan are going to want it all back," Rick pointed out an obvious problem to collecting any money from the sale of the goods. "Twithley is large enough however if we're right the Gorgons went that way," Rick reminded them somberly. There was possibly great risk in going that way.

It was then that Katherine slapped a hand over her mouth and looked pained. "OH NO! I forgot about them!" she said sorrowfully. She took out the last jar of powder that she had and opened it to look inside. "I don't have enough for all of them. How am I suppose to choose who lives and who dies?" Katherine had never felt this kind of pain before. "They're not dead as your power has demonstrated. They're just stone till they can cured," Rick countered. "Meaning we have time to find more," Katherine said hopefully looking at all of them expectantly. "Silverymoon is the most likely place to find more, though it will cost us...most likely a great deal," he informed her.

She really didn't want to choose and even if they went to Silverymoon they might not make the money necessary to buy more powder. Katherine agonized over the decision that looked like was hers to make. "Fine. We sell the goods first then go back to Silverymoon." Inspiration struck and she began counting. "Six people, six horses." She tried to remember. "I've got maybe 6 uses left. Are there six stone horses at the bottom? One for each of us? If we walk it'll take us weeks while riding will only take days," Katherine shared what she was thinking.

"Three maybe four days down fully loaded and two days back up if there are enough horses. We could transfer everything back to the pack animals giving our horses a rest," Rick said thoughtfully. Katherine moaned. It meant using all the powder she had on animals instead of people and there was no guarantee they would find more. However, she didn't have enough for all of the people either.

"Alright. We use what remains on six horses then transfer it all back and head back up and into town to sell it all. Afterward we'll turn around and head back to Silverymoon," Katherine agreed wearily as she caved in since it sounded like the best choice in the long run. "This better work," she whispered to herself. She would never going to forgive herself if it failed.

As Rick had estimated it took them four days to walk the horses down the mountain always unloading them each day only to load them all back up again the following morning. Once they reached the stone caravan late in the day Rick set up their tent in seconds. They unpacked their horses and Katherine sprinkled her powder over 6 pack mules and realized that she had some flakes left. She thought for a moment and shook the bag over one of the guard dogs.

They tied all the horses and mules in place while Katherine went out to set her traps. While she was gone they used the horse feed from the caravan wagons to feed them all including the guard dog who appeared to be well trained and actually listened to what Javi told it to do. Neither Storm nor Dapper were overly enamored with the guard dog and mostly kept their distance doing their best to ignore him.

The humans slept inside while all of the animals slept outside. Come morning they found two of her traps with something in them, so the wolves got fresh meat that they wouldn't get for the next 2 days or hadn't for the last 4 days for that matter. Loading up the mules was actually easier partly due to practice and they started up the hill back into the town of Relfrin.

They spent the night in Relfrin for free once more as did all of their animals even if their number had doubled. It was only four days into town by horse, even though they couldn't go very fast because of the pack mules. However they were only three days out when they ran across still another caravan, this one headed for Silverymoon that was all stone. "DAMN IT!" Katherine screamed in anger as she rested her forehead up against yet another stone animal. She blinked back tears as she searched her bag for all three jars and picked a horse at random and emptied each one by banging it against the stone. "Please let this work," she prayed.

Katherine watched the stone go away from the top down where she had tapped the container until it reach the feet where she found one foot that was still stone. "NO! It's just one foot. COME ON!" she cried. Inspiration struck and she poured a little water into each jar, covered them again and shook them hard. Then she poured all three jars over that one foot and watched it turn from stone into a hoof. She jumped up and screamed, "YES!" Katherine wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Hi handsome lad. You are one lucky boy," she crooned and rested her head up against his neck.

Rick, Lanie, and Katherine each cast _Detect Magic_ and took everything they found which was a lot like what they had found last time. Nothing looked special nor overly powerful. Still magic items were worth money so they made space for all of it even if that meant carrying it themselves.

They were expecting to enter Twithley where they had attended the magic auction previously. Much to their surprise they found Jenny putting on a wig to cover up her blonde hair. "I'm not exactly going to be welcomed into this town with open arms," she informed them. When she had left Silverymoon to move on to perhaps find greener pastures this town wasn't on her list to return to.

"Here wear some of my clothes, they'll help hide you," Kevin offered then handed over some of his clothes. His pants were too long requiring her to turn the legs up and the tunic was still too big even with her chest size, though it did help hide her feminine assets. Lanie and Katherine silently thanked their god for that since her breasts were not out on display so prominently anymore.

It took the rest of the day to find a buyer or two for what they had. They dragged themselves absolutely bone-tired into their rooms for the night. Still they each profited, including Jenny since she had done her part by distracting them. Everyone earned 3,700 gold pieces just for the magic items, though they had kept all of the potions. Each person put on a bandolier that held 9 potions except for Jenny would couldn't wear it because of her chest size. In the end only Javi and Lanie had one empty slot for a potion now.

They garnered 11,042 gold pieces each along with a few silver pieces from the items the first caravan was carrying. Then they rushed back out to the second caravan to collect everything they could carry on their pack mules and went back into town. They each earned 7,423 gold pieces and a few silver pieces for that caravan.

Rick went asking about dust that would turn stone into flesh but found no one knew anything about such an item. He did find two scrolls that held the spell _Stone to Flesh_ in them. However once the scroll was used it was gone. Each cost 1,650 gold pieces so for 3,300 gold pieces they could turn two people back into living. "Seriously!?" Katherine couldn't believe it. Even if they had enough scrolls they didn't have the money to buy them for every stone statue they knew about.

"Can we go back to that Cloud Giant and get more?" Katherine queried. "After all it was his sons that are the cause of all this," she pointed out. "And did he sound like a person who gave a..." Rick was cut off by Katherine. "There has to be something we can do," she replied in anguish. Being made of stone was no way to live.

"There's Guri," Lanie suggested and got Katherine's and Rick's heads to snap her direction. "That one caravan came from Silverymoon; maybe who sent them would be willing to pay to have them converted back into flesh," Javi added which had all of them smiling. They now had something to try so they got back on their horses. They picked up their pack mules, all 7 of them, their one guard dog, then left for Relfrin again.

"At the rate we keep going to Relfrin we may just have to build a house there. A mansion maybe with hot and cold running water," Rick mused as Katherine looked at him. "Oh, yes please!" she said. Katherine had gotten so that she loved hot showers as much as Kate did.

"Give me your money and wait here with the others. I'll be right back." Rick held out his hand and waited for her to hand over all her money. She was all set to question why, when he spurred his horse and took off at a run. "DAPPER, go with him! Guard Rick!" Katherine commanded him and grinned as she watched him take off running trying to catch up to the horse that was practically flying down the road.

It was easily an hour before Rick and Dapper came running back. "They didn't have one but were betting that Silverymoon would have one," Rick told them. "Have what?" Katherine asked as Rick handed back her money. "It's called a **Lyre of Building**. It's a stringed instrument that when played for an hour, magically produces in 30 minutes 100 humans laboring for three days. So long as you don't play it for over an hour, you can use it each day," he explained.

"One hundred people for three days in just 30 minutes and we can do it twice each day?" Katherine asked in amazement. "Do we need to supply materials?" she asked seeing a potential flaw and watched as Rick shook his head. "We'll still need everything that goes into the house. But if we had one we might be done building in just weeks. A month or two at most depending on the size," Rick replied, happy that all of his reading was coming in handy.

They got on the road. Katherine was sure they could use some of their pack animals to haul wagons or carts that would hold beds, furniture, and other things. "This might actually work," Katherine whispered to herself and wondered what Kate would say about it. But if she was right they wouldn't be changing places for much longer unless they stayed in the other person's world for longer periods of time. Months maybe instead of weeks.

She was actually glad she was still there since that hopefully meant Kate was waiting until she made it to the next house. "I wonder what it will look like," Katherine mused. The prison had been nice inside, but it was still a prison.

On their stop at Relfrin again which was once more free, they all walked over to their three parcels of land inside the town. All three parcels faced the tower with no doors and no windows. "What does Guri know that we don't?" Lanie whispered so softly that all of them just barely heard her.

"There has to be a way in. No one lives in a building that doesn't have at least one door. And what about windows? How do you let the sun in or get fresh air?" Javi asked, perplexed by this thing. "Not there one day and there the next sounds like a Wizard who's likely equal in power with my father," Rick commented offhandedly. His words got Katherine thinking. _'Of course his father would have been a Wizard if he was going to teach his son to be one too!'_ Katherine was ready to slap herself.

"A Magical way in?" Katherine wondered. "Most likely," Rick agreed but then Katherine walked up to it just to touch it since none of them had till now. "It feels like stone," she remarked as she worked her hands everywhere she could reach. There was only a couple of inches between the tower and the wall it was embedded into. "What do you think boy?" Katherine looks down at Dapper who simply sniffed, uninterested in the thing.

"Wait, do that again," Javi said. He thought he saw something. "All of it from one side to the other," he explained as he saw the questioning look on Katherine's face. Still she started all over again until Javi had her stop. "There, right there!" he said excitedly. Javi pointed at the space she was standing in. "Right there, kick the dirt, try and make a mess. Dig a hole with your boot or something," he told her.

Katherine began kicking the ground and was sending dirt flying. "Anyone else see that?" Javi asked as Rick nodded and said, "I'll be damned!" Katherine stopped, looked down, and saw nothing. "Do that again, only over there," Rick asked her and they watched her kick up a dirt storm. When she stopped and looked down she saw the small hole she had dug using just her boots.

"Why isn't there another hole over there?" Katherine looked between the two spaces and then at Rick since he was the Wizard. "It's an illusion," he replied then continued, "It hides everything. We can't see the hole you made and we likely can't see the door or the windows." He was impressed. He had read a few things about them, but to actually see one...that was spectacular! "This is powerful magic. You said it felt like stone everywhere?" he inquired, getting Katherine to nod. "So even if it's a wooden door you feel stone like the rest of the tower, hiding the entrance," Rick pointed out to the others.

"How do we get in? I can't pick the lock if it's even got one if I can't at least feel it," Kevin grumbled in annoyance.

"Can you open up, we only want to talk. Guri said you had a way to talk to her father the Cloud Giant," Rick yelled and they waited. "Maybe he doesn't want company," Javi offered. "Maybe he's just shy," Jenny countered and began taking off her clothes. Her clothes since after leaving the town she had given Kevin back his clothes. She was soon down to just her panties and bra. Lanie and Katherine noticed that she was seriously beautiful and had a body they both wished they had.

The men, Kevin included, were staring with their mouths hanging open. Jenny reached out to close his mouth since she was standing next to him. "Maybe later," she said smiling at him then turned her attention back to the tower. "Open the door, please," Jenny asked as she struck a pose and adjusted her breasts inside her bra. When nothing happened after a few minutes she said, "I may have over done it. He might be unconscious." Jenny thought maybe she should have just exposed a shapely leg instead of giving him almost everything. She put her clothes back on and looked around not seeing any of the towns people. She was thankful for that.

"We can't get in and he or they won't come out," Rick remarked as he finally recovered from the view Jenny had given all of them. _'Where are you Kate? I'm not going to last much longer.'_ Katherine was Kate at least in looks. Now Jenny had gotten his blood moving and what he wanted to do was have sex with her. However he wasn't going to cheat on her with Katherine. Even if it was her, sort of. _'This is so complicated,'_ he thought, frustrated almost beyond measure.

Still Jenny gave it another shot and when she stopped she was beginning to get upset. No red blooded man had ever ignored her like that. "Maybe he's gay or..." she was forced to stop talking when Kevin kissed her then he suddenly stopped. "Sorry, I didn't mean...I mean I did, I just shouldn't..." Kevin ceased speaking before he dug his hole any deeper. Jenny watched his blush rush up from his neck and overtake his face. She thought Kevin was handsome enough and his stammering was cute. All the men she had ever encountered were Alpha Male types, so sure of themselves and what they wanted and were entitled to, and she fit into what they thought they were entitled to. She had been forced to defend herself and ended up drugging and stealing from more than a few of them. Kevin was different and she found it endearing.

Kevin didn't know what hit him when suddenly Jenny grabbed him and kissed him soundly. She knew how to kiss and gave him one of her best. When she broke from the kiss and just looked at him, the look on his face made her smile. Kevin was special somehow and she was going to find out why. Plus she suddenly had more money than she made in the last few months and all she had done was proposition a Cloud Giant.

"Gay or not, it would appear that he or they aren't coming out. Maybe Guri can fill us in," Rick suggested and they gathered up their things when they were ready to leave in the morning and headed down the mountain.

It was on the third day that they went past the caravan they had first encountered; nothing looked like it had changed. It took another uneventful three days to reach Silverymoon. They put their horses and mules in the same stable as last time and Storm and Dapper stayed there also. They chose the same inn as before but ended up with different rooms. Unfortunately they weren't next to each other this time.

Jenny was smiling widely at what she saw. She hadn't stayed in an inn this nice in quite a while. When she found out about a hot bath she was naked, wrapped up in a towel, and down the hall almost instantly. Lanie and Katherine were not unaffected by what she did as she left them standing there with their mouths hanging open. "I want her body; I don't want to _be_ her. I just want her body," Lanie said as she finally recovered and watched Katherine nod in agreement.

Katherine was soon pouring out a spice into another set of pony kegs. Three weeks from now and they would have even more money.

The day after their arrival they went to the gate and asked for Guri the Cloud Giant and waited somewhat impatiently.


	22. Chapter 22

**K and K 22**

At the end of 3 weeks:

Javi - 17,623 gold pieces, a handful of silver pieces, and a few coppers.

Lanie - 17,623 gold pieces, scarcely any silver pieces, and a little copper.

Kevin - 16,623 gold pieces, a few silver pieces, and some coppers.

Katherine - 16,123 gold pieces, some silver pieces, and a little copper.

Rick - 22,623 gold pieces, a number of silver pieces, and some copper pieces.

Jenny - 14,895 gold pieces, a negligible number of silver pieces, and a few coppers.

The girls had left Jenny in their room after distributing all of the money they'd earned selling kegs of spices. Jenny was just sitting there giggling since it was just so overwhelming for her. She was used to making money by lying on her back, or being on all fours, or on occasion siting on him. But that position had only happened a handful of times.

In her eyes she was rich and all she had done was to ask if she could leave this town with them. She had been there for a long time and had stayed out of trouble for the most part. It had just felt it was time to leave and move to another city. If she was being honest with herself, it had been seeing Lanie that convinced her to ask this group. Pelor was her god also so she took a chance when she spotted their group. Maybe her god did like her after all. She was still trying to figure out Kevin, however. She had never met anyone like him. He was...different.

Jenny was still sitting there when she heard yet another young voice calling out a name. She had heard and seen them during her time there. They ran around all over the city calling out a person's name since they had a message to deliver. What was different this time was that he was yelling "RICHARD CASTLE!"

She jumped out of bed thankful that she was still decently clothed and ran out into the hallway that overlooked the dining space. Below she saw Rick with Javi and Lanie with him already. She watched him receive his message, raced down the stairs, and joined them just as Katherine showed up.

They had asked to see Guri four weeks ago and had been told they would be contacted. "What does it say?" they asked almost as one. Rick broke the seal and opened the scroll. "It's blank," Katherine said, voicing her disappointment. "I think it's called Illusionary Script. It's a magical method of sending messages so that only one person can read it," Rick explained.

"It says she wants all of us to meet her at the gate to the Palace just at sunset. What I don't understand is that she included Jenny," Rick said perplexed and turned his head to look at her. "Me? ...Why would she single me out?" Jenny questioned. "How did she even know that she was with us in the first place?" Katherine asked. "Her father," Kevin guessed as the others nodded since it made sense.

They whiled away the rest of the day since sunset was hours away. Finally it was time; they stood outside the gate waiting. The sun was setting behind them as a noise got Katherine to turn to look and was suddenly blinded.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

As she slowly opened her eyes, Katherine found herself in a strange place. She was standing by another table only this one had 8 chairs instead of 2 benches. She was facing out into a large room that had a pool past the open doors. It almost looked like the pool was inside. Past that was some beautiful landscaping with water beyond that. "Is this her home in Fiji?" Katherine wondered as she looked around.

This space was much larger than the other place and the ceiling was exceedingly tall with things spinning above her head. She could feel the draft from the open wall and from the spinning things. "Well, this looks promising." Katherine liked what she saw. Looking down she found the crystal skull, at least that was what she called it. All of the gold coins were still around it. A quick _Detect Magic_ spell told her that of the eight only six still held magic.

"I was right, we need the coins," she murmured as she picked up the dead coins and placed them off to one side. What she didn't see and was expecting to was a large number of notes. There were a few just not as many this time. She did, however, see something that had her...well, Kate's...face on it with black keys. There was a note that said _'Press here.'_

Katherine looked at all of the keys and saw that they had letters all over the place along with numbers across the top and funny looking symbols above that. She pressed the area the note told her to that said _'Enter'_

Katherine instantly saw Kate's face disappear...sort of, since suddenly she was speaking to her.

' _Hi Katherine,_

 _I thought this would be a better way to communicate between us. I've still left you a number of notes for you to read_ _though_ _. I'm hoping that you don't find Fiji a prison like you did Canada. For your information_ _,_ _Fiji is an island in what here is called the South Pacific. It isn't very big however it_ _'_ _s very_ _green and lush_ _and very popular with visitors seeking to get away from their lives in the States. Australia is the closest country and it_ _'_ _s also another island, though it_ _'_ _s a whole lot bigger.'_ She saw Kate using her hands to show a tiny dot for Fiji and moved her arms out wide for Australia.

' _Not to worry though_ _. I'_ _ve left you a method of getting around as you please this time._ _I'_ _ve a car in the garage and there_ _'_ _s a man coming tomorrow to teach you how to drive. Since you are me you already have an International Drivers License that allows you to drive here. However_ _,_ _you most likely don't know how to use it or know the rules everyone follows. I've arranged for him to be here for a week. I've asked him to use my car_ _-_ _your car_ _-_ _so you can get used to it while being taught what to do._

 _Like last time_ _you can see the black card that says American Express sitting on the table. Use it for everything and anything. The account already has $22 million US dollars in_ _it_ _. Next to that you will find another card. It gives you access to an account in a local bank should you feel the need to use it. You can use it to get real cash should you need to. That account has another $22 million US dollars in it. This should be enough so don't be shy in using either card. It_ _'_ _s a small fraction of the amount of money that_ _I_ _actually have. There is another note explaining along with a diagram how to get money out of what we call an ATM machine._

 _In addition to the car that you will be learning how to drive, I also have a plane that can fly you anywhere you need to go. It_ _'_ _s presently sitting at the airport. Simon Davenport is the name of the pilot_ _who_ _will do the flying. He has his own card that he will be using to purchase fuel, b_ _u_ _y himself food, pay for parking the airplane, essentially anything that deals with the plane. He has access to several more millions just for that purpose._

 _Oh yeah, we flew out here with his girlfriend that_ _I_ _only recently found out about. Her name_ _'_ _s Dina Meyer_ _. S_ _he_ _'_ _s a tall_ _woman with_ _dark red_ _hair_ _who_ _'_ _s very sure of herself. Personally she_ _'_ _s not my type but so long as she doesn't hurt Simon try not to interfere. OH, also, Simon and Dina know m_ _e_ _by the name Serena Kaye._ _ **It's very important that you remember that!**_

 _As you've likely learned, in this world I'm what you would call a thief/assassin. For that reason I use different names to try and make it difficult for people to find me since what_ _I_ _do would_ _put_ _me in prison for the rest of my life. Around here you can use Katherine Houghton Beckett_ _but it's vital that you_ _remember that you are Serena Kaye around Simon or Dina or anyplace that isn't this home or the one in Kansas City._

 _You'll find Simon_ _'_ _s phone number on the note along with the phone that you_ _'_ _ll use to call him. There_ _'_ _s also a note on how to use the phone. This plane can take you literally anywhere you want to go. It has a very long range and_ _for_ _those places it can't reach_ _, Simon_ _can land and re-fuel to continue on till you_ _get where you want to go_ _._

 _Also there_ _'_ _s a boat out these doors and down a ramp.'_ Kate literally turned and pointed at the open doors Katherine was looking at. It told her that Kate had moved this _Thing_ while using it to do leave her message. _'There are bigger boats and smaller boats. This one_ _'_ _s really fast and has just enough range to reach a northern city of Australia should you want to learn how to get there. You will find another series of notes on the boat telling you how to use it and how far it will go before you run out of fuel. Best if you avoid doing that._

 _I've stocked the pantry with food much like the house in Canada. I've also filled the wine cooler, most of which_ _I_ _bought here. The kitchen is behind you on the other side of the wall. I also brought all of the Xanth books that you didn't have time to read.'_ A"Thank you!" literally burst from Katherine's lips. She really did want to finish those books, they were so much fun.

' _Strangely enough there are also a pair of books here that a man named Richard Castle wrote. I put the Xanth books close to them so you should be able to find them. I don't re_ _call_ _buying them and don't think I've read them. And yes_ _,_ _he does look a lot like your Richard Castle. I thought about looking him up but decided against it. It would appear that he_ _'_ _s a writer in this world._

 _Take a look around, pour a glass of wine first while you do. Oh_ _,_ _I_ _chose the clothes you are presently wearing since it_ _'_ _s really warm here. If it gets to be too_ _hot for you_ _just close the doors_ _._ _I'm sure you'll figure out how to do that. There_ _'_ _s an air conditioner in each room that will cool_ _them_ _. It_ _'_ _s that big white thing hanging on the wall_ _near the ceiling_ _. Pick this little_ _box_ _up which is located in each room and press this button to turn it on.'_ Kate held up the remote control for her to see and pressed a button. _'If it_ _'_ _s not cold enough or too cold for your taste, use these arrow buttons to adjust the setting. It will change the numbers on the screen. The lower the number you see the colder it will be._

 _I live on the cove side of the island. There_ _'_ _s a large beach within easy walking distance or you can drive to one. You can even run on the beach, play volleyball, take a Frisbee and play with someone_ _,_ _or just go swimming in the ocean._ _Y_ _ou can see the pool and the Jacuzzi is to the left_ _;_ _the steps down into the pool_ _are_ _to the right. Which reminds me, there will be a company that comes out every week to check on the pool and clean up the area. There is also a company that will come out monthly to clean the house. Just hand them the black American Express card after they are done and have done a job you are satisfied with._ _They will return it to you._

 _Remember, you are Katherine Beckett and Serena Kaye. I'm sorry if it sounds complicated, but_ _I_ _think it_ _'_ _s necessary. The item to start the car is on the table and the keys that will lock all of the exterior doors_ _are_ _next to it. There_ _'_ _s a security system and a note at the control panel at the front door telling you how to use it. There are also spare keys just in case._

 _Have fun Katherine!'_ Kate smiled and started to reach for something. _"OH, I almost forgot. If you_ _'_ _re right, out of these eight of these coins there should be another 2 dead ones. I have no way to tell which ones. It also means that after you use one we will be down to just 5. Spend however much time you decide to here. Call Simon and have him take you somewhere. Just pack a suitcase with clothes, take all of the cards including the blue_ _booklet on the table_ _which is a passport in the name of Serena Kaye._

 _Have him take you to Sydney, Australia. It_ _'_ _s close and a quick trip. What are you interested in seeing? Mountains? Large and deep canyons? A desert perhaps? Denver, Colorado for_ _m_ _ountains is one place. Phoenix, Arizona or Kauai, Hawaii for deep canyons. Cairo, Egypt for a desert._

 _As for how long this time? I suppose that_ _'_ _s up to you. If we change places quickly I'll know that you don't like it here._ _Be sure and t_ _ake the skull and coins with you when you have Simon fly you somewhere. If you don't like any_ _where_ _you go_ _, t_ _hen I guess I'm screwed, because_ _I_ _like your world and your friends. Our friends._

 _Give the place a chance,_ _please. M_ _aybe you'll meet someone to have fun with. I'm not going to ask for_ _a specific length of_ _time, I'm going to risk it and leave it to you. Stay for weeks, months_ _,_ _or a year or more. I wish_ _I_ _knew what to tell you. Had_ _I_ _known what the skull and coins were capable of maybe_ _I_ _would have started here, or my home in Kansas City_ _,_ _or maybe a hotel in Japan or London. Use Simon_ _;_ _just remember you are Serena Kaye to him and his girlfriend._

 _Take care Katherine, and have some fun. This is not a prison and you can go anywhere in this world you wish to go. Bye.'_ Kate waved, smiled widely and was gone after reaching for something.

Katherine looked down at herself and found she was wearing a very colorful bra, a matching pair of panties along with a practically see through wrap around her waist and some kind of flexible shoes. "She expects me to go out in this?" She was sure Kate was nuts. That was until she saw a note that looked like it was written quickly with a nearby pen.

' _You're wearing a swimsuit called a bikini. A lot of women in this area will be wearing the same thing literally everywhere they go. If you want a_ _larg_ _er wrap to cover up while still wearing it, go look in the closet._ _Also, before you go outside, be sure and rub the lotion in the pale green bottle beside the crystal skull everywhere on your body your bikini doesn't cover. Otherwise you'll get a terrible burn from the sunshine._ _'_

"They wear bras and panties in public?" Katherine wasn't sure just what to think. However Kate's suggestion that she pour a glass of wine and walk around the house sounded like a good idea. She walked around the wall and into the kitchen. "WOW!" It was so much different and bigger than the other one in the first place she'd been to. Finding the massive wine cooler was easy since it was so big. Katherine chose a bottle and went looking for the corkscrew. She poured herself a glass, put the sealer in it just like the one in the other house, and placed it in one side of the refrigerator.

"She's stocked it with food," she mentioned after opening all of the doors. Then she went looking for everything else in the kitchen. A lot of things looked familiar enough that she knew how they worked. They just looked a little different. She was soon wandering around the house while sipping her wine. Satisfied that she knew her way around, she rubbed the lotion on her body then went out to the pool and looked around.

It was warm and sunny and looked completely different. She walked around the pool and down the ramp that lead to the dock. There she found something big under an open building. She found another note explaining how to get the cover off and get the boat down into the water. It told her there was another note in the boat telling her how to use it and where to get fuel on her way back to the dock.

Katherine saw other houses across the way and down the cove. All of the boats she saw were already in the water and they didn't look as big as hers. She stepped it off to see just how big. "40 maybe 42 feet long." To her that was a big boat. It was time to do some searching so she went back inside. It was there that she found her beloved Xanth books that she hadn't yet read and it made her smile. Next to them she found the two books that said _Richard Castle_ on them. Taking one down she saw his image on the back. "It does look like Rick. Maybe not as thin as my Rick." Not that he was really hers. She had stopped trying to kiss him since it was obvious Kate had his heart.

"When I leave here there will be only 5 coins left." It meant she had a lot to see. Maybe she _would_ call this Simon and have him take her somewhere; she just didn't know where she wanted to go. It needed to be someplace that showed her what this world looked like and felt like.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was a week later and Katherine was saying good-bye to the man who came to her home each day for the last week. He hadn't said a word about her not knowing even how to start the car or why she had a car that she didn't know how to drive. Well, she did now. She even knew how to change a flat tire, could park it anywhere, put gas in it, and how to get around since he had her driving almost everywhere.

"Now what?" Katherine now knew how to drive and she had seen a fair amount of the island at this point. It also gave her an idea of where to go. She went into the bedroom where she stripped and put on one of the many bikinis that she had found. It was one of the things she had observed while driving around. Unless they were locals and working, the other women were wearing something that helped them with the heat. She wore her bikini, a wrap, and flip flops. Picking up the fob for the car, she put her license and American Express card into her bikini top.

She took a quick drive to the beach, locked the car, and left her towel for now. She meandered down the beach as she people watched. Most everyone she saw on the beach wasn't black skinned which told her they weren't locals and most of them were a little overweight. She took off her flip flops, went down to the cool, harder sand, and started jogging.

Her breasts weren't that large but she could feel them bouncing, still she kept jogging. It really was a long beach and she reached an area where there were homes lined up on one side. It was from one of these that she saw a young women with short, fiery red hair locking up and began jogging down to the water line. Katherine turned her direction and jogged just behind her.

She was a little faster than her and she was soon next to her and ever so slowly started to pull away. Like her she was dressed in a bikini that looked really good on her. She decided to risk it. "I'm Katherine," she said. That got her to slow down a little and look her way. Katherine liked what she saw. She had a nice body, was pretty, and actually smiled at her. "I'm Alexis," she told her.

That had Katherine's heart doing a quick flip. She had the same name as her grandmother. What were the odds? "How long have you been here?" Alexis asked while looking at her quickly before looking back to where they were going. "Just a week. I have a home near here," she replied. "I've been here almost a month. I rented the home I'm in. I needed to get away and decided to come here," Alexis told her which had Katherine thinking. She couldn't see her eyes but guessed she was hurting about something. It was something she could relate to.

"I don't really know the place, but it seems nice," Katherine said and saw her take a quick look at her. "It isn't really my home, but it is now. It's kind of complicated," she continued. Her situation was beyond complicated. "I know a place for lunch if you're interested. I can drive, the house came with a car," Alexis offered. "That would be really nice," Katherine responded. Both of them turned around and jogged back down the beach to the beach house Alexis was renting.

Katherine followed her inside and saw that it was a small house, not like the house she was in. It looked simple enough. "I'll be right back, I just need to find the keys," Alexis said and walked into what was likely a bedroom. Katherine stood there looking around. "It's not much and it's not really me, but it's all I could find with such short notice. I suppose I could have stayed at a hotel, but I wanted something different. This place almost has me wishing I had," Alexis told her and escorted Katherine outside.

"I know it's not great but it came with the house," Alexis apologized. Katherine wasn't a fan of the car either. "I have mine, it's not far just down the road a bit." And she dug the fob out of her bikini top. Alexis saw the high end fob and said, "Your car it is then." Katherine lead the way. "Is there something you would like and know where to go?" Katherine asked her. "I usually eat light for lunch, then I drive over to one of the resorts and eat at one of their on-site restaurants," Alexis remarked. Katherine was too new to Kate's world so she didn't pick up that Alexis had money to do that.

"Restaurant or my place? I have a lot of food, fruit, and wine. And a pool," Katherine added. However she had Alexis's attention at the word wine. "I don't want to impose," she said shyly. She had only just met this lady. "You're not, besides I could use the company. It's just me here." Alexis saw her walk up to a brand new Range Rover and watched Katherine get behind the wheel. She followed, got in the passenger seat, and pulled her seat belt into place. Alexis was impressed, this was a nice car. She even liked the colors inside and out.

It wasn't until Katherine pulled into the driveway that she was really impressed. It had grass roofs of which there were five. The front yard was immaculate and filled with palm trees. Stepping inside Alexis was still impressed. Just who was the woman she'd met? Still she followed her into the kitchen which was huge and bright. "Red or white?" Katherine asked. "Red would be nice," she replied.

Alexis soon found herself sipping a really nice wine that had her tingling all over and she watched Katherine place items on the center island for her to pick from. "Take whatever you like," Katherine invited her and put plates on the counter. "There's seating at the pool." Alexis soon found herself sitting in a living room type seating area outside next to the pool. She also saw a Jacuzzi and an outdoor kitchen that even had a pizza oven.

"I'm Katherine Beckett by the way," she said. Katherine wanted her to feel comfortable, hoping for a friend with whom to spend some time. "Alexis Castle," Alexis told her and watched the light of recognition of her last name flit across Katherine's face which made her sad. Now she knew her possible new friend wasn't interested in her, only in her dad. "As in Richard Castle?" Katherine questioned. "My father. Or at least he was." Suddenly Katherine saw the pain in her eyes and she reached across to take one of her hands in hers. "I'm so very sorry, I lost my parents not long ago, too." Alexis now guessed incorrectly that this house had been her parents' home and was hers now. Still it gave her hope that the knowledge that she was a Castle wasn't going to change things.


	23. Chapter 23

**K and K 23**

Katherine knelt on the floor in front of her holding both of Alexis's hands in her own. "What happened?" She only saw the pain in her eyes grow till she was quickly blinking back tears. "Paris happened," Alexis told her. "Paris?" What or where was Paris? The word meant nothing to her. "The terrorist attack in Paris last November," Alexis clarified seeing the blank look she was getting from Katherine only to watch her shake her head.

"ISIS attacked civilians in Paris. They actually hit three different places. Two were in downtown and one was far north in a housing suburb," Alexis related, wiping away tears that still surprised her. She was so sure she had run out by now given how long both she and her grandmother had cried. Yet the blank look on Katherine's face persisted and that had her questioning just who this woman was who was clearly older than her. She was obviously pretty, with a beautiful body given that she was still wearing a bikini, and she was nice.

Alexis decided to appease her lack of knowledge and question her about it later. "ISIS is a radical Islamic group that has dreams of power, maybe converting everyone to Islam and killing anyone who refuses. I'm not sure anyone really knows what they want besides killing people. There were three suicide bombers along with a few others that were armed with..."

Alexis stopped again since the look on Katherine's face was one of not understanding, so she thought back to what she had said. "A suicide bomber is a person who straps a massive amount of explosives to themselves and blows themselves up in the hope of killing as many people as possible," Alexis explained simply. Now Alexis saw shock and disgust on her face. "Seriously?" Katherine suddenly had grave doubts about this world, though it did have her remembering what Kate had told her in notes about what had happened to her parents and what she had done after that.

"Dad was there with his publisher, Gina," Alexis all but spat out that name like she really hated that person. "Dad had called me after his book signing and we talked for a while and he told me he was going to go see a show in the Batavian Theatre. It was one of the sites of a suicide bomber. They killed 89 people including my dad." Alexis was still wiping away her tears. "Then there was a stand-off between them and police. Another 386 people were injured before the police killed all seven attackers."

"I knew where Dad was going to go when it was announced on TV. I called his cell phone constantly for hours and only ever got his voice mail. All I had left was the hope that he was one of the injured and not one of the dead." Alexis was wiping away her tears a little faster now.

"And he wasn't," Katherine asked gently and watched Alexis shake her head. Katherine was practically in her lap as she hugged Alexis and let her cry it out all over again.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine wasn't entirely sure what time of year it was here but hoped it was the same between the two. She felt that she needed to say something but how did she tell Alexis that her village and family were slaughtered by Orcs and Trolls?

"You're not alone Alexis. I lost my parents about the same time several years ago when I was just 19. There were a series of hostile home break-ins and they left dead people behind them. I came home to find my parents gutted with their insides spread out all over. There was so much blood," she said. Katherine decided to mix up their two events. She and Kate had both lost their parents; hers was more recent while Kate's was years ago. Her village had blood everywhere because of the number of people that were killed.

Alexis slapped a hand over her mouth. She knew her father was dead and she didn't have the courage to have an open casket to see her dad one last time. She wanted to remember him the way she did, not remembering his lifeless body in some wooden box before being lowered into the ground. Even today she was still second guessing that decision, but to see her dad gutted in such a manner... That was just more than she could imagine.

"I'm sorry, I can't imagine what that would feel like. I never actually saw Dad again, I only remember him before he was killed." Alexis was up and hugging Katherine much like she had been hugged. Katherine had cried for hours while she searched what was left of her village not finding any bodies, so she couldn't imagine the feeling Kate had gone through either. Still she hadn't cried over her parents since that day. Until now. Now they were both sniffling back tears mourning what they had lost.

It was some time later and Katherine had directed her into one of the bathrooms to wash up. They were both looking in their mirrors and thinking almost the same thing. They had found someone who could be a really good friend just when they needed one.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was hours later and Katherine had long since given Alexis a tour of the place. They had dragged a pair of chairs all the way down to the dock where Alexis found the boat along with the note Kate had left on how to remove the cover and launch it. "I've never done it before," Katherine shrugged and mostly told the truth.

Now they were sitting out there next to each other holding the other's hand, sipping wine while looking out into the cove and the houses across the way. "This kind of reminds me of Dad's home in the Hamptons a little," Alexis commented. "My home now." It still hurt a lot and Alexis was still coming to terms with it. "It's a large house out on the beach. I grew up in that house along with the loft in New York City. Dad was the best. We were rich and I knew it but Dad didn't just give me things, I had to earn them," Alexis remarked chuckling a little.

"Some of my friends had these little scooters, two little wheels that you had to push yourself to get going and I wanted one so badly. My dad taught me a lesson with that scooter. Considering how much money Dad had it really wasn't that expensive but he taught me something that day. It wasn't about stuff, about what I had or what I didn't have. It was about who I was and who I wanted to be. It was typical Dad. Then he went out and spent twice that much on a remote controlled helicopter that he would fly all around the house, crashing into stuff and breaking it."

"When I was really little I thought he was the coolest dad. He was just so much fun, so unlike the fathers of my friends. As I grew up his acting like a little kid kind of grated on me for a while. I was more an adult than my dad was."

"It took me a few years to learn that even at that age, he was making my life so much fun. Dad really knew how to enjoy life even if he did some of it at the really wrong time." Alexis was finally smiling.

"He sounds perfect. What about your mother?" Katherine asked and instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry, you don't have to..." Alexis stopped her. "No, it's alright. My mother was never there for me. They were divorced before I even learned how to walk and I only saw her once every few years. At first I had a hard time with her not being there. She would call and say she was flying out to see me and then not show up. No phone call or anything. I can remember asking Dad why my mother didn't love me? Why she didn't come see me? Why she didn't come for Christmas or my birthday or any of my school events? When she finally did show up she mostly ignored me and spent time with my dad."

"Eventually I gave up on her and actually hated it when she did show up. I even heard them fighting several times over how she was treating me. Dad tried, but Mom just didn't listen." Katherine didn't know what to say. Her life with her parents was so much different so she just squeezed Alexis's hand to show support.

Then Alexis chuckled again and continued, "After Dad died she showed up at the loft with every piece of clothing she owned and told me since he was gone she was moving in. No phone call, no explanation, nothing. She simply showed up and decided to take over. I threw her out, had the locks to everything changed, then flew here to get away from her. **THE NERVE OF HER!** She just showed up like she was my mother who had never left me. I was so very angry!" Katherine felt Alexis's fingers squeeze her hand tight enough to hurt, but she said nothing. It was obvious to her that Alexis was still furious with her mother.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't be dumping my problems on you. I only just met you. ...I should probably go home, it's getting late." Alexis set her empty glass down on the dock and stood up followed by Katherine. "Thank you for the evening, it's been the most fun I've had since I got here," Alexis told her. Katherine decided to risk it and asked, "Do you really want to go back to that house?" Katherine didn't think it was much of a house. Granted it was better than her home in her world, but she had gotten used to the homes Kate owned.

"Not really, but I've got another 2 months of rental there. I rented it so I should probably live there. It was my decision so I'll live with it," Alexis replied as she chuckled again. "And it's not as bad as the apartment I rented with my money to live with the boyfriend I had at the time. He was one of the bigger mistakes of my life," Alexis said ruefully and shook her head.

"I have spare bedrooms, you could stay in one of them. The kitchen's big and I have lots of food. You can use the pool. We can get the boat down and you can show me what you know about boats," Katherine wheedled. She was sure Alexis knew more than she did about them even with Kate's notes.

"Oh no, I'll be fine. I've learned to live with my choices," she said firmly. Alexis wasn't moving in with a woman whom she had just met.

"But you don't have to, I'm giving you a choice. All you have to do is take it. I have spare keys to the house and one for the car. Please? I'd love the company; it's just me out here in this big home. It's so big we might never see each other again." Katherine tried to make light of it knowing that not seeing Alexis again while she was here was never going to happen. Especially since she intended to stick to Alexis like glue. "Please! ...I have lots of books. Have you read the Xanth series? I only have the later books here but surely we can find the first ones somewhere," Katherine almost begged. She wasn't sure just what else she had to offer besides her company.

Alexis turned her head to one side a little and looked at her sideways. "Do you have ants?" Her beach house was filled with the damn things. She had gone out and bought more ant killer stuff than she knew what to do with, and still she found the damn things crawling on her each morning.

Katherine knew what ants were but didn't understand the question. "No?" she responded softly not sure how ants played into her answer. "SOLD!" Alexis declared. She decided to risk it. After all she had the money to leave if she wanted to even if she had to leave everything she had brought with her behind. Katherine had been nothing but kind to her and she hated her rental.

" **GREAT!** I'll get the keys and we can go pack you up. You can have any room you choose even the biggest one." She was more than willing to let Alexis have the room she was using. Alexis's eyes opened wide. Had Katherine just offered her the master bedroom? "I'm sure one of the other bedrooms will work out fine," Alexis countered. "Your choice," Katherine said then hurried to get the car fob, all of the house keys, and the spare car key.

A short time later Katherine was helping Alexis pack and that was when she found pictures of Rick and Alexis. "My dad. I was in such a hurry to get away that I grabbed what I could. I didn't even tell my grams that I was leaving until after I got here," Alexis chuckled. "And she wasn't upset?" Katherine questioned her.

"Grams likes my mother even less than I do. ' _Stay as long as you need to dear, I'll be fine. Just be safe_ _my_ _d_ _arling girl_ _, I love you.'_ Alexis did her best to sound like Martha which made Katherine smile. At least she still had someone in her life. "Not married, no boyfriend?" Katherine inquired.

"No and no. I've had boyfriends and I'm not a virgin, but there isn't anyone special. You should have been there when I brought one of my boyfriends home. Dad answered the door with a gun in his hand. I think Ashley was ready to pee his pants. I was so mad at Dad for that," Alexis said, smiling slightly as she took the picture and placed it in one of her suitcases.

Katherine was amazed. Alexis obviously loved her father a lot and yet she was talking about her time with him without all the tears. The good times, the embarrassing times. It left her wondering if they had ever had any bad times.

It took almost no time to get Alexis packed and her suitcases loaded into the rear of the Range Rover as she tossed the keys inside the house and bade the place farewell. "Good- bye ants, good-bye horrible bed, good-bye noisy refrigerator, good-bye leaky dishwasher, good-bye loud air conditioner." And Alexis turned and followed Katherine out to the car. She got into the passenger seat, buckled up, and never looked back.

Alexis chose one of the spare bedrooms and started unpacking. She liked how she felt as each piece came out and got put away. Her rental was for 3 months and she had 2 more months on it. Her dad had left her more money than she knew what to do with and while she hated wasting money, this just felt right so she was willing to take the loss. It was one of the things her dad had taught her.

She found Katherine in the kitchen still wearing her bikini. Alexis had changed into one not yet ready to call it a night. "Want some?" Katherine offered as she held out a Tupperware filled with cut fruit of various types. "Thanks," Alexis replied and she found a small plate then followed her back out onto the dock. "Better?" Katherine asked. "Much," Alexis said then continued, "I really don't know how to thank you for this." What Katherine had offered was amazing, let alone her accepting it. "You're welcome and I'm glad you accepted. I really could use the company," Katherine confessed. She hated being alone. It was one of the reasons why she liked her friends in the other world so much, and why she called the the place in Canada a prison.

They were back to lightly holding each others fingers while they looked up into the star-filled sky and out across the cove at the other houses. The food was gone and the wine bottle empty. "I'm going to go to bed. Stay up as long as you like. The spare keys are on the table," Katherine told Alexis and left her on the dock.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis didn't stay outside long and didn't stop at the table for the keys, though she did notice a laptop. She was thinking this place had a wireless router somewhere; she just needed the security code to use it for her own laptop. She also saw a large crystal and some gold coins along with a small paper pile. It looked like Katherine was using the dining room table as a work area.

She knew she hadn't seen everything yet and was hoping for a complete tour tomorrow since Katherine had only shown her the main rooms and the bedrooms for her to chose from.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine stepped out of the shower, dried off and combed her hair, then slipped into another bikini since she was learning to like wearing them. They were so light and comfortable and kept her cool in the heat, not that it was hot out yet. The air conditioner would get turned on in a couple of hours perhaps.

Her nose lead her into the kitchen where she found Alexis similarly dressed and cooking. "Breakfast?" Katherine inquired getting Alexis to turn and smile as she replied, "Morning. This is my way of thanking you for yesterday, except you don't have any coffee. Not even a coffee machine." Alexis was going to have to fix that. Thanks to her dad she was addicted to the stuff. "Coffee?" Katherine asked confusedly. She didn't know what that was but she went to her bedroom and came back with the black American Express card. "Here. Go buy one or whatever you need," she offered.

Alexis almost dropped her spatula when Katherine put the card on the island countertop. It was even black like hers, not that she should be surprised really given what she had seen so far or had been told, yet still she was. "Um, thanks but I have money. Dad left me more than enough to live on."

Katherine picked it back up. "As you wish. What are you making?" Katherine asked as she stretched to peek. "Pancakes and bacon. Dad used to make these all the time for me especially when I was down. I'm probably not as good as he was, but I did help him cook sometimes," Alexis replied wistfully.

"You can cook?" Katherine asked, overjoyed at what Alexis had said. "My idea of cooking is trying to find a recipe and doing what it says. Most times it doesn't come out right for some reason," Katherine laughed at herself. "Sounds like I'll be doing all the cooking then," Alexis said, glad to be contributing something since she was staying here. "And I'll be happy to eat it," Katherine assured her then asked, "So, have anything planned? Go to the beach maybe?" Alexis interrupted her. "Shopping, I need coffee," she informed her. "I'll get the keys," Katherine told her. "And I'll get my card," Alexis said. They headed for separate bedrooms and met at the front door since the car was still in the drive instead of the garage.

After stopping at three different locations that might at least have coffee, they found out very quickly that Fiji only had wild coffee that wasn't available commercially. "I'm dying here," Alexis was being melodramatic, but then Martha had taught her well. "What did you drink at the beach house?" Katherine questioned her. "Instant. It was like drinking monkey piss but at least it was coffee," Alexis replied. Katherine made a face at the monkey piss comment which had Alexis laughing. "So coffee isn't for locals, where do all the visitors go?" Katherine asked. Alexis shrugged and ventured, "The airport?" It was where everyone came and went. Katherine drove to the airport and parked in the short term parking.

Inside they could only make it just so far before they reached security, however Alexis followed her nose to Esquires Coffee House. She ordered an espresso and drank it quickly then ordered another. "Want to try a sip?" Alexis offered and handed Katherine her cup. She took a sip and almost spat it right back out. She managed to swallow it and watched Alexis laugh at her.

"That was disgusting!" Katherine sputtered, grabbing a paper napkin trying to wipe her mouth out. "You're sure you want something that can make this...stuff?" She was all set to say crap, but that was rude. The face Katherine made had Alexis laughing at her all over again. It did, however, still leave her with a problem. Fortunately the people who worked there were able to give her an address where they could get a machine and choices of coffee beans.

One stop later and Alexis had her fancy espresso machine and coffee beans then made a stop to get some cream. Katherine watched her set it up without saying anything and then watched her make her first cup after using the other little machine she had gotten that made a hell of a noise. Still the beans went in and powder came out and into the big machine. "Is it always that complex?" Katherine questioned her. "It's easy once you know how. Want a sip?" Alexis teased while smiling widely showing that she was teasing. "That _thing_ better not stink up the house or it's going outside," Katherine teased back, getting Alexis to chuckle while she sipped her coffee and smiled at her.

Since Alexis was going to be doing the cooking she showed Katherine what could be done with an outdoor kitchen that had a grill, a mini fridge, and sink. "Another day I'll show you what I can do with this pizza oven. Dad and I loved pizza though you don't actually need a pizza oven to make homemade pizza."

After eating they floated in the pool just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet while still having company. They were both learning to like the other and Alexis wasn't yet thinking about when she had planned on going back to New York.


	24. Chapter 24

**K and K 24**

Katherine found Alexis in the kitchen come next morning. "You're going to spoil me," she remarked causing Alexis to turn to her. "Morning! Eggs, sausage, toast and juice this time. Oh and coffee," Alexis said lifting up her cup and started laughing again seeing Katherine's face. "Fine, have breakfast your way. But I'm not giving up; I'll make an addict out of you yet. You just wait and see," Alexis promised.

"Maybe in my next life, certainly not in this one," Katherine informed her as she picked up a fork and started eating. "Any plans for the day?" Katherine asked. Alexis shook her head.

They cleaned up and turned on the dishwasher having a full load after yesterday and today's dishes. "How about a full tour?" Katherine took her to every room and every closet. "Dad would love this room!" Alexis exclaimed when they stepped into a study room. It had large built-in shelves filled with books of various types. There was even a wooden mask hanging on the wall. A high back chair sat at a dog-leg desk. "Laptop, printer, router. Perfect, do you know the security code?" Alexis asked and watched her shake her head.

"I'll be right back." Alexis retrieved her own laptop, brought in the one from the dining room and turned it on then searched for the router's security code. She input it into her laptop and was connected. "Now let's see where we can go," Alexis told her and began searching.

"Ooo, there's fire walking," Alexis proclaimed thinking that might be fun to see. "Fire walking? As in walking in fire?" Katherine questioned. "Technically it's red hot coals. They walk this long row of them barefoot," Alexis explained. "Ouch!" Katherine said shuffling her feet. "Oh, never mind. It's only on Tuesdays," Alexis deflated since today wasn't even close to Tuesday.

"Okay what else?" Alexis murmured to herself as she kept looking. "Here's something and it's on this island! White water river rafting." Alexis was interested and got Katherine to step in behind her so she could see what Alexis was looking at. "It's $223 which is a little steep but I have money."

"I have $20 million on my card," Katherine told her not yet understanding just how much she really had. That, however, got Alexis to turn her head. "That's enough to buy this entire house," Alexis informed her not believing she had told her that.

"It's open from 6:45 am to 6:00 pm. If we hustle we might get there a little after 7:00 am," Alexis said since they had eaten an early breakfast. "What do we take?" Katherine asked.

"We're already wearing it: towels, sunscreen, ID, credit card, phone. Maybe a plastic bag to put the phone in so it doesn't get wet. That's about it. Meet me at the car?" Alexis suggested. "Last one there buys dinner!" Alexis challenged as she smiled, pushed Katherine, and ran for her room squealing when Katherine caught up to her too easily. Katherine tickled her as she ran past her. Still Katherine was last. "You owe me dinner and I know just the place. I hope you have something formal to wear," Alexis warned her.

The GPS got them there just a few minutes after 7:00 am. Alexis bought them both tickets and they sat down to wait their turn.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was hours later and they were both soaked to the bone. They were laughing and still screaming. Katherine stepped out of the boat, raised her arms, and shouted, "WOO HOO!" Alexis doubled over laughing. "We are so doing that again!" Katherine informed everyone within earshot.

"Give me the keys," Alexis demanded holding out her hand. "I know how to drive," Katherine protested. She drove them up there and had taken lessons all week long. "Not in your present condition. Your mind is still traveling down the white water not on the road, now hand them over," Alexis reiterated, pushed her hand out a little farther, and waited till Katherine handed over the keys. "Thank you for trusting me," Alexis said.

"Have you done anything like that before?" Katherine asked her, still wound up to maximum levels. Alexis shook her head and replied, "Not that, I've done zip-line and skydiving."

"Skydiving?" Katherine didn't know what that meant. Alexis looked at her with a perplexed expression. She could easily tell Katherine was older than her, but why did she not know some of the simplest things. Her dad had taught her that each person had a story. It was that story that told you about them. So what was Katherine's story?

"Skydiving is jumping out of a plane from very high up and floating down to the ground using a parachute. At first it's a free fall as you rush headlong towards the ground as the wind blasts past you," Alexis explained. "Seriously!" Katherine exclaimed, sort of considering trying it though it sounded insane to her. "Can we do that here?" she asked. Katherine was still on mount high and willing to try it. "Probably not, though they might have something similar. It's called parasailing. You use a parachute to stay in the sky while being towed by a boat out on the ocean. We can look it up when we get home," Alexis informed her.

"Tomorrow!?" Katherine asked looking at Alexis with a look that so reminded her of her dad. She was acting like a kid much like her father. "I've created a monster," Alexis grumbled half-heartedly. Hearing that caused Katherine to pout. Okay, way too much like her dad. Though it did make her smile.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis cooked them dinner and they ended up floating in the pool till Katherine left her to go to bed leaving Alexis with her thoughts. She was learning to like Katherine; she was fun, pretty and maybe just too much like her dad. Though that wasn't all bad. She was, after all, used to that.

Katherine found her in the kitchen the next morning making omelets for breakfast. "Parasailing today?" Katherine asked while eating which had Alexis grinning wide.

They were back in the study room using the laptop that was there. "Adrenalin Fiji," Alexis read the name and brought up the website. "What's that?" Katherine asked and pointed at the picture next to the parasailing picture. "A banana boat," Alexis replied and got that blank look from her yet again. Alexis was going to start asking questions soon. "It's a raft in the shape of a banana that you sit on and is towed by a boat at high speed." Alexis just knew Katherine was going to go for it.

Parasailing. Alexis clicked on the link. "Looks like we can go together and it costs FJD$199 per person for a 10 minute ride," Alexis read. "Ten minutes! Is that all?" Katherine said dismayed. It sounded so short to her. "We can always purchase another ride after we stop or go on the banana boat," Alexis suggested.

"All three?" Katherine requested earnestly. "How about we find out if we like the parasailing first before doing it again," Alexis replied since she wasn't afraid of either. "DEAL!" Katherine almost yelled in excitement. She was ready to go. "We need to get there by 9:00 am," Alexis informed her. They ended up getting there at 8:00 am since Katherine couldn't wait and found themselves in the air a little over an hour later with 6 other people. They took turns sailing before going back to shore.

" **WOO HOO!"** Katherine screamed the entire time, kicking her legs while holding onto the bar over their heads. She did that most of the time till she found out she didn't need to. Alexis found her enthusiasm infectious and was soon doing the same.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Will you hurry up! We still have to drive to the resort if you want to eat," Alexis yelled through the door of the master bedroom. They had naturally done the parasailing all over again followed by the banana boat ride. And as much as Alexis hated to admit it, being with Katherine was marvelous fun. She was amazing and a complete mystery.

One minute she was acting like she was in her later 30s which was what Alexis guessed was her age; then she behaved closer to Alexis's own age of 22 and the next she was somewhere around age 9. She was beautiful and looked gorgeous in a bikini which both of them were constantly wearing around the house. She was obviously smart and utterly clueless all at the same time. Alexis was close to asking just what was going on.

She was obviously rich, or at least her parents were. This house, a large bank account, the boat she hadn't gotten a good look at yet, and a car that was brand new. Like this year brand new; it even had a hint of that new car smell to it.

"Katherine!" Alexis tried again. However Katherine was sitting in her bathroom freaking out. She had found make-up in the bathroom in Canada and had played with it a little but really didn't know what she was doing. So she decided to just keep it simple as in almost nothing simple.

She picked up the amazing dress she had found in the closet and shimmied herself into it. All she had on underneath the dress was a thong and nothing else. It was utterly backless and came down really low; she couldn't find a bra that would work with it. Her next problem was the shoes. She couldn't wear flip flops and all that was left were these _Things_ that looked impossible to walk in. But Alexis was yelling at her so she grabbed the black ones that matched the color of her dress. She had also chosen jewelry but found she couldn't figure out how to wear the little things, whatever they were. Still the bracelet that twinkled with gems fit perfectly as did the matching necklace.

The shoes went on and she picked up the tiny bag she had found that was silver in color to put her keys into along with her ID and the black card so she could pay for dinner. Then she stood up. "WOW!" Suddenly she was taller than ever. Seeing her image in the bedroom's full-length mirror had her smiling widely. She looked so very different. She had even managed to put a few curls in her hair.

Then she started walking for the door. "OW!" It was just as she feared. "I'm going to make a fool of myself," she muttered. Katherine wondered if it was too late to put her other shoes back on. "Hurry up, we're going to be late," came from Alexis through the door.

Katherine did her best and walked to the door. She opened it and found Alexis in a floor-length dark green dress that had thin straps much like hers. Even from this side she could tell it was backless just like hers. **"WOW!"** they both said outloud at the same time. _'She's gorgeous!'_ was what they were both thinking. They looked each other up and down and while Katherine didn't notice, Alexis did. They were wearing the very same dress just in different colors with different colored shoes. Alexis had a necklace with a little green in it and some inexpensive bracelets on one arm, five of them in fact. Her grams had given them to her. She was also wearing real emerald earrings while Katherine wasn't wearing any.

"You don't have earrings to match?" Alexis touched hers. "I think I do but I can't figure out how to put them on," Katherine admitted in frustration. Alexis leaned in close and touched her ears. She was really close and they could feel each others breath on their faces. "Your ears aren't pierced," Alexis stated a little shocked. Almost every woman she knew had pierced ears. "Pierced?" Katherine questioned. Yet another "Katherine" mystery that Alexis needed to solve.

"Let's go, I'm driving," Alexis said and held out her hand for the fob to the Range Rover. Katherine moaned internally a little but figured if she couldn't walk in these things, how was she going to drive in them? She handed over the fob and watched Alexis take off in her shoes that were at least as tall as hers. She sighed and started walking with great care. Alexis was already at the front door, had it open, and was wondering where Katherine was when she slowly walked into view.

' _Seriously!? ...Ok_ _ay,_ _that was it_ _! S_ _he was_ _definitely_ _g_ _rilling Katherine after they got back from dinner. Provide_ _d_ _she didn't have to drive her to the hospital with a broken ankle.'_

Alexis waited patiently while she locked the front door. Alexis was tempted to help her walk to the car, though by the time she reached it she was picking up speed.

 **IVI Restaurant at Outrigger on the Lagoon**

By the time they reached their table Alexis had noticed that Katherine was walking a bit better. Though she was dying to start asking her questions, she bit her lip and bided her time.

"It says there's a 100-year-old IVI tree here somewhere. We have to go see that," Katherine informed her with great enthusiasm. It gave Alexis one more question to ask about.

It took some time for them to agree but they ended up with a 3-course meal for both of them:

Orange Basil rubbed Beef Tenderloin, Fiji's deep sea snapper and mud crabs, nut and spice crushed chicken breast supreme, FJD$109 per person. One bottle to start with of Pewsey Valley Riesling - Eden Valley, South Australia.

Dinner, which both of them admitted was delicious, and two bottles of wine later, Alexis couldn't help but notice that Katherine was walking so much better as she asked where the 100-year-old tree was. "WOW!" both of them said at the same time when they found it all lit up with lights from below. "Aren't you a beauty," Katherine said reverently as she carefully stepped in among the large stones that it was growing out of. The trunk was easily 10 if not 12 feet in diameter and the canopy was enormous.

She didn't have a _T_ _alk with_ _P_ _lants_ spell though her gran had told her that one day she would. "If this tree could talk what would it say?" Katherine mused and rubbed it to feel it. "He's a beauty," she remarked then turned and smiled at Alexis. "How do you know it's a he?" Alexis questioned. "Because it is," Katherine replied like it was obvious.

Katherine walked perfectly back to her car while smiling widely, not feeling the pain in her feet from the shoes she was wearing. Still watching Katherine, Alexis got in the car and drove them home.

Alexis walked Katherine out to the outdoor sitting area, sat down across from her, then pulled her high heels off and watched Katherine do the same. "Who are you Katherine? You don't know how to walk in heels, your ears aren't pierced, you talk to trees, you don't know what skydiving is, what parasailing is, never heard of a banana boat, have no idea how much money $20 million is, didn't know what white water rafting was. Yet you know how to drive, have a big house, have only been here a week."

"One minute you behave like you're in your late 30s, next minute you're acting like you're around my age. And the next you are a 9-year-old kid who has eaten way too much sugar. You act so much like my dad some times that it's unnerving, yet I can't resist you. I like you Katherine and I'm starting to like you a lot. So just who are you?" she demanded. Alexis wanted answers and when Katherine started to get up, she was up out of her chair and jumped over the coffee table almost ripping her dress. She pushed her back down and sat on the coffee table.

"Please, I like you and I think you like me, too. Won't you talk to me," Alexis pleaded as she took hold of her hands in hers and waited while she watched the emotions play across her face seeing conflict in her lovely hazel eyes.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate looked around and saw everyone plus one more female who was seriously lovely with a body and chest size match. The fact that she was latched onto Kevin's arm was eye-opening. Everyone looked to be wandering around a gated entrance through a walled off area. Then she saw Rick. She practically jumped into his arms wearing her leafy armor and kissed him for all she was worth.

Except he didn't kiss her back. In fact he pushed her off him. "Katherine!?" Rick had a chastising sound to his voice. "Guess again Rick," Kate said and smiled deviously at him. Then he looked at her with a questioning face and asked, "Kate?" She smiled at him saying, "Got it in one." Then she grabbed him and kissed him again, only this time he kissed her back. Kate broke from the kiss to get some air telling him, "You don't know how much I've missed you." She whispered into his ear, "Where are we and what are we doing?" She felt so free in this life.

"We're in Silverymoon trying to talk to Guri the Cloud Giant. We've had some trouble lately and have found a lot of people and animals turned to solid stone," he informed her. "Seriously? Like solid, _solid_ stone? Like statue stone?" she asked incredulously. She watched Rick nod. "Fucking A!"

"Who's she?" Kate nodded at Jenny. "That's Jenny. She's a Concubine and seems to be taken with Kevin and he with her," Rick told her. "Concubine? You mean a whore?" Kate questioned softly. "Something like that," he admitted. "O...kay," she replied a bit dubious. That certainly wasn't what she was expecting. "She speaks Cloud Giant," he offered in Jenny's defense. Kate opened her mouth then snapped it closed and remained quiet. Who was she to judge? She was a thief/assassin in her world so why shouldn't someone be a prostitute.

She looked everyone over including herself. "Have we gained a few things?" Everyone looked just a little different. "And when did you start wearing a necklace?" Kate giggled then started laughing with a hand over her face to muffle it since wearing a necklace was a girlie thing to her. "I'll have you know that each red ball is a fireball and it saved our combined asses in a fight with 4 Cloud Giants," he said stiffly as he stood up straight and tried to look dignified. "Fireballs? Like, _fireballs?_ " Kate made a blow up motion, mouthed "Boom!" and watched Rick nod. Okay, so that made a difference but it still made him look girlie to her.

"I talked Katherine into getting you a Monk's Belt that should help improve your hand-to-hand skills a lot," he informed her. She touched it on the outside of her leafy armor that she was wearing again. What she wanted to do was question, "This stupid rotten thing?" but she had learned magic came in all shapes and sizes so she kept her mouth shut. She wondered what else had changed while she was gone. She was also hoping that Katherine liked Fiji since she wanted to stay for longer than two measly weeks.

Kate pulled Rick down to her level. "Do we have our own room?" Kate wanted him like right now; it had been 2 very long weeks. Her enthusiasm made Rick smile since it had been 2 long weeks for him too and Jenny wasn't helping things any. "Not yet," he responded which earned him another kiss.

"Shall we walk?" a lovely looking female elf in regal and expensive clothes asked as she exited the gate and walked up to them. "We're waiting for..." Rick was interrupted. "Me. Let's walk," she told him and started walking away forcing Rick and the others to hurry to catch up. "Are you..." he was interrupted again. "Keep your voice down and yes, it's me. My father has explained a lot. I still can't believe that my own brothers would do such a thing. ...I presume you are Kate again?" Guri asked. She had noticed a difference in her. "Yes, is it that noticeable?" Kate questioned. "Not that much no, but Katherine didn't kiss him like you just were," Guri commented which almost had Kate blushing. "Why the illusion?" Rick queried. "And notes that only I can read?" he continued.

"My father and I fear that my brothers weren't working alone. As much as I loved my brothers, they were just too stupid and not powerful enough to accomplish all this. Neither of them were Wizards," Guri informed them. "The Gorgons," Rick said as he suddenly understood. "Yes," Guri confirmed. "What we don't know is who and why or where they are and what he, she, or they hope to accomplish. We are both assuming it has something to do with why my father chose that mountain to relocate to. We just don't understand why that mountain. Which is where you come in."

"We want you to search it for clues as to why and who," Guri told them. "We were given three plots of land in the town of Relfrin in the mountain pass. We were thinking of tearing down what's already there and building a large home for all of us with room for the future," Rick shared their dream with her. He told her, "I know of a magic item called a **Lyre of Building** that will speed up the process and reduce costs. We just haven't found one yet or how much it costs."

"I will get you two of them, three if you need it. I assume you want space for all of you including your new friend," Guri looked at Jenny who was still holding onto Kevin's arm. "I think those two are inseparable, so yes," Rick stated. "I'll send you plans to look at while you play the instrument. Inform me when you're done and I'll see what I can do to provide furnishings for each room," Guri said. Rick knew all of that would cost them a small fortune. Guri and her father must really need them badly. "With hot and cold running water in the bathrooms and kitchen please. And a giant shower that has a rainhead, too, if possible," Kate spoke up for the first time. "I'll see what I can arrange. You will have at least one sub -basement if not two," Guri warned them, considering her floor plan. "I will send the number of instruments I deem necessary to complete the project in a few short weeks."

"Do we have a deal?" Guri asked them since she and her father were offering a lot. "Katherine would never forgive me if I didn't ask for more powder to restore more people and animals from stone to flesh thanks to those Gorgons," Rick told her. She thought about it. "Only if we have a deal," Guri countered. "Can we talk about it before we answer?" Rick questioned her. "Of course. You have 10 of your minutes," she agreed then walked into a store to do some looking as though she was shopping.

"Comments?" Rick inquired. "We get a free house that sounds more like a mansion," Javi noted and continued, "with space for all of us and room for expansion." Javi didn't say children but everyone heard it.

"So we search the mountain and find who's doing this. As in get _inside_ the mountain somehow?" Lanie wondered. "If they're getting out we can get in; we just have to find a way," Kevin commented since it sounded like a job for a thief. "Anyone who thinks they're powerful enough to take on her father must have access to real power. He or they may be too much for us," Rick warned. "We've been gaining power since before we even reached Relfrin," Lanie finally admitted that she had access to spells that she didn't before. "So have I," Rick said then resumed, "plus we have more gold coin than we've ever had before; we can buy things."

"Isn't inside a mountain going to be dark? I hate to break it to everyone but I don't see well in the dark," Kate advised them. "If we can find it and afford it, magic can fix that," Rick responded.

Then Guri walked out and looked at them. Rick glanced at everyone and didn't see anyone shake their heads. "We're in," he told her. "Thank you. I will get you what you need in three weeks. I suggest you keep making more money and buy what you think you'll need. The other side of the city across the bridge is home to several magic user guilds. They may be able to help you for a price."

"I wouldn't expect much help from your Halfling friend. He's already lost a fair amount of gold coin selling you what he has. His only hope is that Beckett's signature is worth what he thinks it is."

"I will get what you need to you in your rooms at the Inn where you are staying. Three weeks time. I expect for construction to be complete in one month and I will allow for that time and start sending the furnishings including your hot and cold running water. Do not let me down." And Guri the regal Elf walked away.

"I hope we know what we just did," Lanie mentioned getting everyone to nod. "We need to go back to making more spices to sell and figure out how to solve the seeing in the dark problem," Rick told them.


	25. Chapter 25

**K and K 25**

Katherine didn't know what to tell her. She really did like Alexis; she was the only real friend she had here in this world. She was smart, fun, pretty, and looked really good in a bikini.

"You wouldn't believe me, can't you just..." However Alexis interrupted her. "My dad was a mystery writer usually involving homicides and killing. He dreamed up countless bad guys for the hero, Derrick Storm, to hunt down and bring to justice. Storm saved the United States at least twice and the entire world at least once."

"I've read every Isaac Asimov book ever written, so if you're about to tell me you're actually a being of pure energy wearing a suit to look like a human, go for it. Or that you're a really little guy inside the chest of the robot you're running, I've seen that too. Or maybe you're really tiny sitting in a command chair in your head, I've seen that as well. I'm not scared, so talk to me," Alexis pleaded with her voice and her eyes.

She was going to lose her only friend; she just knew it. Taking a deep breath, Katherine told her, "I'm a Druid from another world."

"And?" Alexis was sure there had to be more. There were Druids in England that went out to Stonehenge and did who knew what.

Katherine was sure that alone would be enough. "I was minding my own business when I was suddenly somewhere else inside a different body, this one." She looked down at herself. "I was up in the hills above my little village chasing a stupid goat that had decided he was a mountain goat. I watched as a band of creatures rolled into my village; I later found out they were Orcs and Trolls. They slaughtered everyone, including my parents. They didn't leave anything behind, not even their bodies. No animals, no food, nothing." Katherine blinked back tears. Her entire life disappeared in less just hours.

"I ran to my friend's house that was several days away. It was a day or two by horseback but a little far on foot. On the way I saw an army of them headed for her town. Combined with others, we fought them off and I joined my new friends.

I was just walking along with them headed for a town to meet one of their friends when suddenly I found myself in a house that I later found out was in Canada. It was really cold with snow everywhere and I was completely alone. It was a prison. It was a nice looking prison, but it was still a prison."

"I didn't know what I had done exactly but I found myself back in my body again, only to end up back there again a short time later. Only then there were notes everywhere."

Her name was Katherine Houghton Beckett just like mine and she explained where I was, what was near here, and why she was here. I still hated it and I used the magical item to change places again and asked her not to send me back there. And she didn't. Instead she brought me to her home here which is so much better. She arranged for an instructor to teach me how to drive and left me money to do what I wanted. $20 million in one card and $20 million in another. She says she has a plane that can take me anywhere I want to go to see her world." Katherine stopped since Alexis was just staring at her. She just knew it, she was going to lose her.

"I can prove it." Katherine got up, took her hands from hers and didn't let Alexis stop her; she felt her follow her to the dining room table. "This is the magical item and you need the coins to make it work. There used to be eleven of them and now there are six. When I decide to leave here there will be five."

Katherine opened the laptop and twisted it around. Since she had never actually turned it off and it was still plugged in, it was simply in sleep mode and woke up. They both saw her image on the screen and Katherine pressed ENTER. Alexis stood there and watched the entire message that actually told her a lot, a whole lot. "A Druid," Alexis stated.

"I can prove it," Katherine said again. She took Alexis's hand and lead her out past the pool over to some of the lush landscape. "Stand here and try not to be scared." Then she backed off far enough and cast her _Entangle_ spell. Alexis soon found herself being wrapped up in swiftly moving plants. Struggling to escape gained her nothing; it wasn't until some of the plants started choking her that Katherine canceled the spell and the plants reverted back to their normal form.

"It's a magical spell. I have others. I can make myself run faster for a few hours. I can make myself or someone else twice as strong for a few hours. I can even talk with animals and understand what they say back to me. I can fire flares." And she quickly cast it and shot it into the pool where the flare disappeared in a cloud of steam. That one had Alexis jumping back.

"I can also summon animals to help protect me, like a wolf for example. As I grow stronger I can cast other spells or summon more dangerous animals. I used to have a number of magical items but we only trade bodies not what we have on us," Katherine explained, and stood there scared to death. She had exposed herself and didn't really know what Alexis was going to do with that information. She didn't want it to change things, but how could it not?

"Say something...please," Katherine begged. Alexis had been quiet too long. "A Druid who can cast real magic spells?" Alexis asked just to clarify what she'd seen. And she watched Katherine nod. Alexis walked right up to her and Katherine could feel her heart pounding in her chest. What Alexis did next was going to break her or...

"How old are you then?" Alexis asked a question she wasn't expecting. "This Katherine who calls herself Kate, is 37 while I'm 24," she replied. "Well, that certainly explains a lot. I was beginning to think you had a split personality or something worse. You look like you're 37 and sometimes act like it and yet most of the time you act closer to my age. Then occasionally you would behave like a 9-year-old who had eaten way too much sugar."

"I just couldn't understand why you were so clueless about some of the most basic things in life," Alexis said in great relief. She had her answer. However it left her with another one. The difference between 37 and 22.

"Now what?" Katherine asked. She didn't want to lose her, Alexis was all she had in this world.

"Now? Now we have fun of course. I'm sorry about your parents though. I still can't imagine the pain of watching your family being slaughtered and not being able to do anything about it." Alexis stepped up to Katherine and wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.

She could feel the exposed skin on her back with her hands and could feel her hands on her exposed back. It suddenly lit a fire in both of them that they had never felt before. It also had them scared.

Alexis let go of her and backed up a step. "The message begged you not to use the item again too fast and to stay here for a while. So what are you planning to do?" Katherine could just up and disappear on her without saying anything.

"I haven't really decided. The other Katherine - Kate - said I could use the plane and Simon would take me anywhere I wanted to go. Plus there's a boat that she said could reach a place called Australia. I was thinking of asking him to take me somewhere, I just don't know where," she had to admit.

"Do you know what kind of plane it is? Turbo prop, jet maybe, or even how big?" Alexis questioned her and watched her shake her head. "Okay, the message said when you wanted to go somewhere to call him with 24 hours notice. It would not be a good thing to ask him what kind of plane and how far it can go since it's yours and that's something you should know. She said it was at the airport and that you own it. We could drive to the airport and look. We just have to remember to say your name is Serena Kaye and take your ID for that name with us. Maybe if I take a picture of the plane I can find out what it is and how far it can go," Alexis offered.

"Does this mean you're staying?" Katherine asked hesitantly. She was still afraid Alexis was going to at least leave her. She knew her heart would break if she did.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!? You're a Druid who can cast real magic spells _and_ you're from another world! That is just sooo cool! ...Dad would never believe me; he would go nuts if he met you! I just...I just wish he could." Alexis's heart was still ripped in half; somehow she found herself in Katherine's arms. Now it was Alexis who was blinking back tears.

She had come here to get away from her mother and to escape the loft which had far too many memories in it. But living alone in that sorry excuse for a house wasn't helping. Being hugged tightly like this was helping, but it was also awakening something else that she didn't know what to do about. They were really close and even barefoot Katherine was taller than her and she found her face buried in her neck area. She could breathe in Katherine's scent and she was liking it.

Alexis pushed herself away and stepped back again. "We can go to the airport and do some snooping in the morning," Alexis offered and retreated to her bedroom. However she didn't sleep peacefully. She was haunted by the feel of Katherine's arms around her, the feel of her skin, and her scent.

Katherine couldn't believe her luck. She took off her dress which left her in a thong that she'd found in the dresser and thought would work best with this dress. Standing in front of the mirror after washing her face to get the make-up off, she saw her older self looking back. Alexis hadn't rejected her. In fact she had done the opposite.

Now she was tossing and turning while remembering Alexis in her arms, the feel of her skin, and the feel of her hands on her exposed back. Even the smell of her hair. "She's a friend, my only friend." She wasn't risking losing her.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine wore yet another bikini while driving them to the airport with Alexis seated next to her also wearing a bikini. They were both stealing looks while looking at all of the exposed skin in a different light. It took some work to find where private planes were parked.

"Yes, Ms. Kaye, your jet's still here. Exit out this door and turn right. It's in stall J12. Each stall is marked so you can't miss it." He pointed to the door and handed her back her ID and passport. "Have a pleasant day on the island."

Both of them hurried out the door and were walking down the way as far away from the taxi way as they could get. They saw single prop after single prop till finally Alexis pointed out a really nice King Air twin turbo prop. "J8, ...J9, ...J10, ... J11, ... **WOW!** Now that's what I call a private jet!" Alexis exclaimed in delight. She was beyond impressed. "This thing can actually fly?" Katherine had never seen anything like it or even the others along the way for that matter. Alexis giggled at Katherine's lack of knowledge. "Yes, it can fly really high and really fast too. Keys?" Alexis asked and held out her hand then waited for her to hand over the keys. Only moments later Alexis had the door open and the stairs down. "Let's see what you've got." She climbed the stairs and stepped inside. Katherine hadn't made it that far yet as she followed her. **"WOW!** This is my kind of plane! Hurry up Katherine!" It had her climbing a little faster to see what Alexis was seeing.

Alexis opened the door to the cockpit. "The pilot sits there and the co-pilot, if you had one, would sit there," Alexis pointed then left Katherine staring at all the items that were in there. They were literally everywhere. Turning and closing the door she watched Alexis walk down the aisle running her hand over the leather seats and sold wood tables. "You have a kitchen back here," Alexis called out and opened the door to the bathroom. "And a shower, too!" Alexis waited for Katherine to see before she closed the door and started opening drawers till she found the wine fridge. "Not much food but you have wine and even a refrigerator, oven, microwave, silverware. Solid silver silverware." Alexis was even more impressed. "This thing cost her millions upon millions. You're rich, maybe even stinking rich. That message said the money she left you was just a fraction of what she has."

Alexis thought her dad was rich and he was, based on the amount of money she and even Grams had access to now, and it kept coming in based on his investments and as more Derrick Storm books kept selling. Kate, now Katherine, was even richer likely by untold millions.

"Now we need some pictures and a laptop; we need to find out what this baby can do," Alexis told her, grinning. She had a friend who had her own plane. Just how cool was that?

It was all locked up again and they were back home in the study room while Alexis looked for what it might be on the laptop with Katherine looking over her shoulder. She also kept taking peeks down the front of Alexis to see her breasts that appeared to actually be bigger than hers. They were creamy white yet she couldn't see her nipples. Katherine kept blinking her eyes. _'She's my friend, my only friend.'_ That thought didn't stop her from continuing to take peeks and wondering what they... Katherine shook her head.

"This picture matches the ones I took at the airport. So if I'm right, this is a brand new Bombardier 8000," Alexis told her as she brought up pictures of the outside and inside. "That looks like the inside that we saw," Katherine remarked, pointing over Alexis at the laptop.

"Let's see what it can do." Alexis changed screens. "Well, this is simple. I live in New York which is here." And Alexis pointed and then clicked that spot. "This is where it can reach from New York which is almost everywhere. Except the Philippines, which is here, Australia, which is here, and Fiji, where we are, is this tiny dot outside of its range. Not by much though. We just stop somewhere and refuel first," Alexis explained.

"You know, there are a lot of commercial jets that hold a lot of people that don't have this range. Let's see what it cost her." Alexis started searching. "HOLY!... It's just under $70 million dollars! That's one expensive plane." Alexis was beyond impressed. "You're not rich Katherine, you're filthy stinking rich. ...I mean Kate is, except you are while you're here." Suddenly Alexis deflated. This wasn't Katherine's world and she would eventually go home. Alexis didn't even know much about Katherine's home world.

Katherine saw Alexis shrink after she said that and it told her something. She placed her hands on her shoulders. "Kate left it to me to decide when I go back and I now have a reason to stay. At least until I have a reason to go back, and there will be 5 coins after I leave so it wouldn't be forever." She tried to console Alexis.

What Alexis wanted to say was that Katherine would eventually leave her, but she kept her mouth closed. "It's still early, we can walk or drive to a beach. Maybe take or buy a Frisbee," Alexis suggested. "Frisbee?" Katherine responded and made Alexis laugh. Katherine was so smart and yet knew so little. "Stick with me, I'll help you learn everything," Alexis promised. She twisted to look up at her and smiled. Even then it didn't occur to Alexis that Katherine could see down her top, not that she would have cared.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"You got this idea from Katherine after she found all of my spices at home?" Kate questioned them as she held the jar after asking for Rosemary. She had offered Garlic Salt and Paprika next followed by Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, and Nutmeg; after that they would talk. It meant a lot of pouring while going out to buy pony kegs to pour it all into. Still it earned them another 2,800 gold pieces per person.

While others were pouring Rick took Kate with him across the bridge which had her gawking at it. "This is amazing!" Kate said delightedly as she smiled wide. It was there at a magic users guild that he found just two options. One was to purchase **Goggles of Night** at 12,000 gold pieces each. It allowed a person to see in pitch blackness to a maximum of 60 feet like it was daylight while actually walking around in complete darkness.

"Sixty feet, that's all? I can see in daylight for...miles," Kate said then swept her arm out wide. "There are races that live their entire lives in darkness and most only see 60 feet ahead while only a few can see a 120 feet," Kate was informed. "Can we get 120 feet?" she asked Rick. Kate wanted every advantage she could get. If they ended up in combat with someone who could see 120 feet they could end up ambushed and end up dead. Only to watch him shake his head.

Their second option was to have a spell cast on their eyes to allow them to see ahead 60 feet in total darkness and then have a permanency spell cast on that spell. It would only cost them 8,500 gold pieces per person. Another consideration was that there were only 2 pairs of goggles available for purchase. "Well it's the least expensive option," Kate mentioned knowing that they had just so much money. It was a far cry from how much money she had in her world.

"It is but there's a drawback. There's a spell called _Dispel Magic._ If it's cast on you it will destroy the permanency spell and then the other spell will fail leaving you in complete darkness," Kate was told. "SHIT!" That would just totally suck. Then she was informed of another potential problem. "You can only wear one thing in each place except for rings. For example, if you have a magical necklace you can't wear another one. You can only wear just the one."

"So if I wear the goggles I can't wear anything else to cover my eyes no matter what it does?" Kate questioned and watched him shake his head. "Well, hell!" she cursed. "What about rings?" She had noticed that she was already wearing one. "Only two magical rings at one time. You can carry more in a pouch but only wear 2 at any one time, provided you are willing to change them out and have the time," she was informed. "Okay, that's not so bad," she grudgingly agreed.

It still left them with their original problem though, how to see in complete darkness? "Can you make more goggles?" Kate asked and noticed that Rick wasn't saying a word. She was going to question him about that later. "About 2 weeks per pair," was the answer. She did the math in her head. Three weeks before they start building followed by one month of construction. Kate had been amazed and excited about having a home instead of a hotel room to live in. Someplace to actually live; she just wasn't happy about not having any say in what it would look like inside or out. "That would mean we would have 5 pairs total if we bought these two now and ordered the others," she figured.

The other problem was that buying the goggles meant those people would be using up at least 2/3rds of the gold pieces they had except for Jenny which would closer to 7/8ths of her money. Only Rick had the most money and that was even after selling the spices. "We can still make more spices during construction," Rick finally spoke. "You two are behind all those spices? I'm dying to find out what you offer next; whatever it is I'm buying it," the guildsman gushed.

That told both of them a lot and they wondered if they were charging too little. Kate nodded as she thought about what that would do to the money they would have after this. There were 6 of them including Jenny whom Kate worried about. If there was combat what would she do? Kate just didn't know enough about her yet.

"We'll have to ask them what they want to do, but I'll take a pair of goggles now," Kate said and handed over her money. She left being able to see in darkness. Rick knew he was a Wizard and that if they ran across another Wizard this _Dispel Magic_ spell would be likely cast on him for that reason, so he bought the other pair.

Kate - 7,423 gold pieces after the first three weeks.

Rick - 13,423 gold pieces after the first three weeks.

Jenny - 9,195 gold pieces after the first three weeks. She chose the spells because she feared what wearing goggles would do to her skills and abilities as a Concubine since they completely covered her eyes. Almost all of her abilities were based on what she looked like.

Lanie - 8,423 gold pieces after the first three weeks. And bought goggles since she was worried about that _Dispel Magic_ spell she knew nothing about since she would be casting spells also.

Javi - 11,923 gold pieces after the first three weeks. Javi wasn't worried about having the spell cast on him. "Why would they do that? I'm a Ranger not a Wizard or Cleric," he said, defending his choice.

Kevin - 10,923 gold pieces after the first three weeks. He also chose the spells for the same reason. "I'm a Thief."

Everyone would go up another 2,800 gold pieces three weeks later just a week before completion of the house from the selling of the spices.

"Underground, underground," Kate muttered quietly. She was trying to think of any other problems they needed to solve before they went into this mountain. She was sitting there thinking while watching Rick lying on their bed naked and sound asleep. She started grinning since they had only just finished making love to each other again. She had really worn him out this time.

What she wanted to do was jump him the first day she was there. But it took her almost 3 days to find the oil she needed to soak the slice of sponge in to prevent pregnancy. She had bought every last drop the shop had and wanted to know when they would have more. "The same day the house is done," she reminded herself. She hoped they had the time to leave Relfrin to go into Silverymoon to get it.

While she watched Rick sleep she felt happy for the first time in a really long time. "5 coins," she said distractedly. She didn't know what to do about that. However she was still here and if she was going to get her oil she needed to leave tomorrow. They had gotten a note from Guri that the first of their furniture would be delivered in two days. "Katherine has let me stay so she must like Fiji," Kate mused. She liked Fiji too which is why she bought the house and boat.

She knew she was falling for Rick big time. She just didn't know how that equated with having just 5 coins if or when they changed places again. Simple math told her that she would get the final say and come back here and stay here forever. Now she was looking forward to going back. She needed to know what Katherine was thinking. "Just not for a while yet please," Kate asked the ceiling.


	26. Chapter 26

**K and K 26**

It had been almost a month and both Katherine and Alexis were presently grinning gleefully while they felt the wind in their hair and a little spray in their face. In this case they weren't showing off their bikinis to each other since they were both wearing a life vest. But it did nothing to lessen the tension they were both feeling and doing their best to ignore.

This trip Alexis was driving as she headed back for their dock and home. Just under an hour later they were tying the boat to the dock since they both knew they would be going out again. "I'm in the lead again!" Alexis crowed. She was grinning and rubbing it in. Katherine shook her head and finished tying the boat in place. "You wait till next time Lex, you just wait," Katherine challenged. She was convinced she was going to overcome her fear that something bad was going to happen then she was going to push that throttle handle further than ever. "You're all talk Kat, all talk," Alexis baited her.

They were now the best friends either of them had ever had. "Alexis" had become too long so Katherine had tried out Lex for short and they both found that they liked it. Alexis had tried "Kate" first, but Katherine had balked instantly. "Don't call me by her name," she said stiffly. She meant the other Katherine.

Katherine had gotten a hug as an apology which only got their blood to heat up since all either of them wore were bikinis. Alexis's next attempt at shortening Katherine's name had been "Kat" and so far it was working out.

"I'll let you decide what we eat for lunch, just don't go cooking while I call Grams," Alexis warned her. She went inside to her room in search of her phone to call home. She had been calling weekly since she arrived in Fiji and Martha was keeping her apprised of what was happening at home.

Her mother had tried to get into the loft again only a week ago, however the doorman had prevent her from entering the building. Eduardo had been forced to call the police when she became belligerent about not being allowed in. Meredith had insisted her daughter was in there, not knowing that she wasn't. Not that it would have mattered; Alexis didn't want to see her.

"Hi Grams." Alexis loved her grandmother; she felt guilty about leaving her behind to deal with her mother.

"It's good to hear your voice darling. How is your trip going? Surely Fiji must be treating you well, you sound happy." Martha could hear something in her voice.

"Fiji is great Grams, we're having so much fun." Alexis had been a little worried about telling her about Katherine, but she finally had.

"And how is your friend Katherine? Is she treating you well?"

"Kat is great Grams; this trip would have been terrible without her." Alexis knew she would be wallowing in grief over her father even here.

"So it's Kat now. She must be something special." Martha was dying to see who now had her granddaughter's heart.

"Kat has been amazing." Alexis was all smiles. The only cloud in her life was she was scheduled to leave in 3 weeks and she just didn't know what to do about that. She knew what she wanted to do and that was to ask Katherine to come to New York with her. But New York wasn't Fiji.

"Lex?" Katherine gave a quick knock on the door and entered Alexis's room.

"Hang on Grams." Alexis put the phone down and turned to look at Katherine who looked nervous to her. Alexis gave her her best "What?" face.

"I know your plane leaves in a couple of weeks; I was wondering if you wanted to ask your grandmother to join us here? I've never seen her and only know what you told me about her." She wasn't sure how Alexis was going to take this idea.

Alexis stared at her with her mouth hanging open. She thought the idea was brilliant and instantly fell for Katherine just a little more. Alexis put the phone back up to her ear. "Grams, Kat just had a brilliant idea. How would you like to fly out here and join us? I'll get you a ticket so all you have to do is pack." _'Please say yes_ _G_ _rams_ _,_ _'_ ran through her mind.

"Oh no dear girl, this trip is yours. Yours and this Katherine." Martha wasn't going to interfere.

"Please Grams, I miss you. You're the only family I have left and you're there all alone. It's Kat's idea Grams so I'm sure she's willing to have you. We have an extra bedroom and the house is huge, you should see it." Alexis was still impressed with this house.

"I can wait until you come home dear. Don't you start classes soon?" Alexis was still in college even if she hadn't chosen a major yet.

"I'm buying you a ticket Grams and I'll get Eduardo to escort you to the airport if I have to." Alexis decided a threat was the only way to get her stubborn grandmother moving.

Suddenly the phone was taken out of her hand and she looked over to find Katherine holding it to her ear. "Hello Ms. Rodgers. Alexis has told me so much about you and I'm really looking forward to meeting you. I'm going to call Simon, my pilot, and have him fly out to pick you up. I'll have him call you when he's ready to turn around and fly you here." With that Katherine gave the phone back to Alexis and started walking for the door in search of that phone she was supposed to use to call him.

"You heard her Grams, now go start packing." Alexis watched Katherine walk out of her room and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't just like Katherine anymore she... "What was that Grams?" And watching her in that bikini without a wrap walk away had her blood moving too.

"You're sure I'm not interfering darling?" Martha wasn't going to screw up what these two had.

"Just pack Grams and I'll call you back when Simon gets there. And you should see this plane Grams, its amazing!" Alexis was smiling wide and wished she could be there to see her face when Simon showed her the plane she would be traveling in. "I love you Grams and I'll see you soon." Alexis was already thinking up ideas to thank Katherine for this.

"I love you too dear. I suppose I'll have to go shopping for a swimsuit now." Martha wasn't sure she wanted to see what she looked like in one of those things.

"Yes Grams you do since it's all we both wear here. Bye Grams, I love you." She so wanted her grandmother out here.

"I love you too my darling girl." Martha ended the call which had Alexis tossing the phone onto the bed while she jogged out of her room in search of Katherine.

She found her at the dining room table where the satellite phone they were supposed to use to call Simon had been sitting all this time. "You're already in New York City?" Katherine was amazed. She suddenly remembered him calling to tell her that he was flying his girlfriend back home. She just hadn't thought of him staying there with her.

Alexis stood there and listened. "I need you to fly Martha Rodgers here as soon as you can, she's in New York City also. I'll get her number so you can call her." Katherine turned to head for Alexis's room only to have the phone taken from her.

"Hello Simon, do you have a pen and paper? I'll give you her number and address. I'll arrange for a car service to take her where you need her to be," Alexis told him and gave him her number and their address. "She's supposed to be packing so she should be ready when you're ready," Alexis told him.

Simon informed Alexis where Ms. Rodgers should go, that he'd be waiting, and the plane would be ready and stocked with food. "And wine, Grams loves wine. Thank you so much." Alexis hung up and set the phone back on the table.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to impose, its just that I suddenly remembered that I have this big jet and... " Katherine stopped talking when Alexis grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her on the lips. Katherine was shocked at first but if she was honest with herself she had been thinking about doing the same thing for weeks. Her sleep was even restless because her mind wouldn't shut down from thinking about it. Alexis was ready to stop kissing her, to pull back and apologize when suddenly Katherine's arms were around her, pulling her close. Katherine kissed her back as Alexis moved her arms around Katherine.

Katherine broke from the kiss first and gazed into Alexis's eyes then she kissed her again. Alexis soon found Katherine's hands working on the tie that held her top in place and felt it fall away except for the tie at her neck. Then she felt Katherine's hand on her right breast carressing it. Katherine broke from the kiss yet again and looked down at Alexis's breasts. "I've been wanting to get my hands on your breasts and finally see your nipples for weeks," Katherine murmured.

"Tell me to stop Lex, because I don't want to lose you. You're literally the only friend I have in this world. I would have used that damn thing long ago and gone back to my world except for you," Katherine admitted.

Alexis's response was to reach up, untie the rest of her top, and throw it on the floor. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm so glad you're here. I don't want you to leave...ever." She brushed her lips up against Katherine's and reached for the ties that held her bikini top in place.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They were all presently downstairs at one of the tables looking over drawings that Guri the human had shown up with. Ever since Rick and Kate had separated from the others and gotten their own room so had Kevin and Jenny as well as Javi and Lanie. No one talked about it but they all knew what was going on behind closed doors. It didn't hurt when everyone came out of their rooms smiling and the women were glowing.

They were presently looking at a 3 dimensional section of all the floors while looking at the floor plans to see where everything was. "No library?" Kate questioned since she learned that like herself Rick had a thing for reading. They watched Guri use a writing quill and mumble something. Then she swept her hand over the drawing and they watched in amazement as it changed.

The living room and kitchen got a little smaller while a library was added. The kitchen took the biggest hit. "What about a training area? Combat, magic casting, that kind of thing?" Rick inquired and they watched her do the same thing all over again. One of the basement levels elongated so that Rick could throw fireballs down a long hallway and not have it come back on him and burn him to ash.

"Satisfied?" Guri asked them.

What they had was a 90 foot by 30 foot space that the town had given them. Out of that Guri had given them a stable area that took up the entire ground floor with large double doors on the 90 foot side. There was enough room for all of their horses and their seven pack mules. There was even a space tucked away to hold a couple of guard dogs since they still had the one.

Stairs went up and down in the same space. Upstairs was a 30 foot by 30 foot outdoor garden that they could use to grow plants. Katherine would be the best at it, but Javi was no slouch either. Also on that level was the living room, kitchen, and now a library.

The next floor had four bedrooms that were close to 12.5 by 20 feet along with two large Jack and Jill bathrooms. The next floor was a duplicate of this one. On top of that was a large 60 foot by 30 foot deck that had a cover over half of it. "You can do what you want there," Guri told them.

The first basement was just below the ground floor and held a 30 foot by 30 foot storage space that would be used mostly for animal feed - hay and grain storage along with dog food. Next to it that was a 60 foot by 30 foot water cistern. The only access to the cistern was a well area in the stables so that water could be drawn up from it along with pipes leading from the rooftop to fill it with rain water. They had all learned that horses required a lot of water and it was all collected from rainwater off of the roof.

The next lower level of basement space was a 30 foot by 30 foot storage space for personal use as well as the new training area that branched out from the 90 by 30 space they had been given for their activities.

Several feet below that was a 30 foot by 15 foot food storage space. That deep into the mountain Guri was counting on it being cooler so that their meat and produce would last longer before going bad. There were a lot of stairs to get it all from storage to the kitchen, hence a dumb waiter. It allowed them to put food inside it and haul it up to the kitchen pulling on ropes or conversely down to the basement.

"Only one month?" Rick questioned while the others nodded. Kate knew even in her world with power tools and experts it would take months at the very least if not an entire year to complete everything.

"I will be providing four of those **Lyre of Building** instruments. You will be playing each of them for one hour a piece each day. Each day will be equal to 2,400 man hours of construction. The hardest and longest time will be digging out the holes as outlined in the plans. Just make sure you are looking at the appropriate sheets while you play," Guri warned them.

"In one month's time after construction is complete, you can expect the first of the furniture packages. It will be up to you to locate it in the appropriate room. The driver and his men will unload what they bring but that is all. Once they are unloaded they will leave and prepare for next day's delivery. This will take a week.

One week later after the deliveries are complete, as per our agreement, you will begin your search of the mountain. I suggest that you all be ready by then," Guri told them and then left them to look over everything before taking it upstairs to one of their rooms.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Construction was now completed and they all watched as three wagons were unloaded with all kinds of furnishings. Guri had given them everything they needed for the four uppermost bedrooms first along with the bathrooms. This even included sheets, pillows, towels, soap, ... everything.

The next day came things for the next floor of bedrooms and items for the kitchen and library. The following day furnishings came for the living room and garden equipment along with a small storage shed to house the garden equipment.

The fourth day many things for the ground floor showed up. They soon realized that she hadn't just send furniture for their new home but she also sent plates and silverware for the kitchen, buckets, feed bags, and even tools for repair of the building itself. Even tools for repairing leather bridles and such.

The fifth day was more of the same for the ground floor which included hay, grain,combs and brushes for the horses and even dry dog food plus straw bedding, horse blankets, and extra saddles.

The sixth day just two wagons arrived carrying wood for shelving for all of the storage areas in one of the basements.

The seventh day three wagons brought food, a lot of which had to be carried down all those stairs. By now the lowest level really was rather cool. The door that sealed amazingly tight helped. It wasn't cold enough for ice, but it was close.

Kate had turned on the faucet in the kitchen and got instant cold and hot water; she had no idea where the waste water went. She giggled with glee, ran upstairs into the room Rick and she had chosen and stripped off all her clothes. Then she jumped into the shower and stayed there for almost half an hour relishing the feeling of a hot shower.

"I could learn to like this world." Now she just needed a naked Rick in their bed to make this day perfect.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis slowly opened her eyes and found she was looking right into Katherine's hazel eyes since she was already awake and staring at her. "Hi?" Alexis offered timidly, a little worried. "Hi," Katherine replied showing signs of worry on her face.

"I didn't mean...I mean I did," Alexis countered quickly before Katherine could think what they just did was a mistake. "I've always just thought of guys and not a girl...a woman...girl." God this whole situation was different.

"Lex? Did you mean it?" Katherine had heard what Alexis had told her after screaming out her second orgasm right into her face since she had just done what Alexis had already done for her.

Alexis tried to replay what they had just done and even now she couldn't believe she had done that. Being with a girl...woman was a first for her; she had only been with boys before. And "boys" was definitely the right word to be using. Ashley, followed by Pi, who was her biggest mistake, followed by Max had all been failures. This didn't feel like a failure. If anything she had enjoyed the sex more than she had with all her three boyfriends combined.

Alexis saw the worry about her answer spreading across Katherine's face and it hurt her heart to not see Katherine smiling. She lifted up a hand from somewhere trapped between them and stroked her face till she saw her face soften. "Every word. ...I always thought I needed a man to find happiness with, besides my dad I mean. It never occurred to me that my unsatisfying encounters were because I didn't really want them." It was a revelation for Alexis.

Katherine's face softened instantly. Alexis hadn't said the words again, but hearing her was enough for the moment. "I'm not a virgin either, but you're my first and I liked it." Katherine placed her hand over Alexis's hand that was still stroking her face.

"I have a confession to make," Katherine admitted as she scrunched up her face. "I've been staring at your breasts and wanting to get my hands on them for weeks. I just couldn't risk it. You're my best friend. Not my only friend but they're on another world. I don't want to lose you. I've already invested too much of my heart in you. Losing you would break it." Alexis was literally almost all she had now. "Now what?" Katherine didn't know what to do next.

"We need to talk." Alexis hated to do this now, but it needed to be done and now would be best. "I have college courses to go back to soon. It's a college near New York City naturally. I still have a few years of classes actually," Alexis told her.

"College?" It was a term she was unfamiliar with. "You learned to read, write and speak English. Well, college allows a person to learn more specialized things, like being a doctor, lawyer, or a countless list of other things. To learn how to be the best at something; to know as much as possible about one thing instead of a little about many things," Alexis tried to explain. "You could come with me if we can find something you are interested in," Alexis said, brightening up with her sudden moment of inspiration. "You do plan on staying?" Now it was Alexis who scrunched up her face, afraid of Katherine's answer. Like Katherine, she'd invested a lot of her heart in her. She couldn't afford to lose someone else, she just couldn't.

Then Alexis watched Katherine scrunch up her face and Alexis's heart fell. "I do need to go back just so I can say goodbye and I... _we_ need to know what Kate's thinking. The last coin is actually hers so if she stays here there is nothing I can do about it." Katherine realized the future she now wanted was out of her hands.

"You need to convince Kate to let me come back," Katherine said. "I'll take notes of everything you do and do it myself if I have to," Alexis remarked determinedly. She wasn't losing her.

"Lex, that wouldn't be fair. I mean if she hates it there we can't force her to live there forever," Katherine said gently. She knew what a prison felt like. "She asked for you to stay here as long as possible before changing places. To me that sounds like she likes your world," Alexis argued.

"I think she has a thing for Rick." Katherine smiled at that. He had shown that he wasn't interested in her but was interested in Kate, even if he was kissing her. Well, her body anyway.

"Rick?" Alexis questioned. "Lanie Parrish, Kevin Ryan, Javi Esposito, and Richard Castle." It was only after she said his name that it hit Katherine what she had said. Her eyes grew wide as she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Alexis's face lost all color and her mouth opened as she stared at Katherine. "Dad is alive in your world and you, I mean Kate is involved with my dad?" Alexis wanted to get this straight.

"His name _is_ Richard Castle, Lex, but he doesn't have children and in my world he's a Wizard. And my grandmother who taught me to be a Druid was named Alexis Beckett." Katherine didn't know how she was going to take those two things.

The shock on Alexis's face certainly told her something; just what that was Katherine didn't yet know.


	27. Chapter 27

**K and K 27**

Everyone still with me after that last chapter? If you were hoping for it to be Richard Castle in this world, there is a reason for that, if you think about it. It will become clearer as you continue to read. Have a little faith.

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxXx

It had been five days since the last of the furniture had been delivered. Kate was almost dancing while cooking in the kitchen since out of all of them she was the only one who knew anything about cooking unless it involved cooking on an open fire. The problem was they didn't have electricity, natural gas, or even propane to fuel a stove. What she did have was an old fashioned wood burning stove with a cord of wood stacked off to one side and a dumb waiter that had a tube leading down to the basement.

While Rick and she had gone shopping again for more magical items to help them inside the mountain, Kate had stumbled across something and then went out into left field; 3,000 gold pieces of her money gave her what she suddenly wanted.

Kate walked over to the tube, opened it, and used the attached whistle to blow down into the lowest basement level where it was actually almost frozen and getting still colder which required a sudden conversion for part of it. The 30 by 15 foot space was now two spaces of 15 by 15. Cooler and freezer. The whistle activated a permanent **Invisible Helper**. Technically he wasn't totally invisible; he was more like looking at a cloud in human form.

"Three packages of pork chops please," Kate yelled into the tube and soon heard the bell announcing that the action had been completed. All she had to do was pull them up in the dumb waiter then send it back down. Each time she wanted something she simply called down what she wanted and he picked it up and put it in the elevator. He wasn't smart enough to put it away after sending what they bought down, but that was all right.

Cabinets for the dry goods were in the kitchen so all she had to do was step over to one side and look for what she wanted. She had spent the last 5 days using her little **Spice** **Jar** pouring out 5 of the spices she used most into small containers. Eventually she hoped to have every spice she knew about in the cabinet.

Eventually she went over to the stairs and yelled "DINNER!" up the stairs and down the stairs. They didn't have the biggest table; it worked for now but might need to be replaced later, but they would take care of that when the need presented itself. Kate served up pork chops flavored with spices, sliced boiled potatoes with a sprinkling of garlic powder, carrots in a buttery sauce, bread that was homemade and wine. Kate knew she had spent far too much on wine, but the stuff Relfrin called wine was piss water. She had gone to Silverymoon and filled her really large inside **Backpack** with every bottle it would handle. "Thank you Katherine."

She was down to 1,223 gold pieces now after purchasing her **I** **nvisible** **Helper** , magical **C** **limbing** **R** **ope** , her wine, and repaying her friends for a **Druid Vest** that she couldn't use because she wasn't a Druid. Still Katherine had promised to repay them so that meant she did too. She now had the least amount of gold of all of them, however she was happy.

It turned out that Guri actually had good taste and Kate was amazed at the furnishings that she had provided. True, some of it wasn't to her taste, but they had 6 people living in this house.

All of the bedrooms had windows with shutters on the outside and inside, both of which could be bolted closed from the inside. She found out that window glass was available, but it cost a small fortune so adding glass was a ways off. They also each had space for a good-sized sitting room including furniture. It gave each bedroom a living room of sorts.

Every room, save for the rooms that were too small, had a small wood-fired heating unit for the icy, freezing winters that happened here on the mountain. Even the stable had two of them to keep the animals warm, though it also would likely keep the ceiling, the floor of the living room, kitchen, and library warm. Conversely those rooms would help keep the floors of the rooms above them warm.

"Anyone need to go to the Wizards' Guild over the next two days?" Rick asked since they had to start their work soon and watched everyone shake their heads.

Javi had a magic **Climbing Rope** just like Kate's. He had also spent 1,320 gold pieces on magical **Sleep Arrows**. They did no damage but they did stand a chance of putting who he hit to sleep.

Kevin spent 2,000 gold pieces to convert his silver-tipped whip into a magical **Silver** **Whip**. He had also spent some money purchasing 6 silver throwing daggers to replace his normal ones.

Lanie had gotten a wand of _Cure Moderate Wounds_ from one of the temples in Silverymoon. It had irked her a little that Pelor was not represented, however she got what she wanted at a good price. Still it had cost her 4,500 gold pieces.

Rick had purchased a wand that could cast _Invisibility_ , plus it was fulling charged with 50 charges. Like any wand, once the charges were all used up it was worthless.

Jenny literally didn't have any armor of any kind so she spent 2,000 gold pieces on an **Amulet** , another 2,000 on **Bracers** , and 2,000 more on a **Ring**. These three things combined gave her at least a small amount of magical armor.

"I need to talk to the smith's son about watching our animals while we're gone," Jenny commented. It was a lot of work for one teenager so they were hoping that if they sent Jenny she could convince Seven to let his younger son help the teen when he wasn't helping his father. They were still going to pay both of them and even give them half of the money up front in case they were gone longer that anticipated and they needed to buy more hay or oats.

"Where do we even start?" Lanie questioned. It was a large mountain after all. "My vote is the abandoned mine just past the church. It's boarded up but it might lead us somewhere. And if we want to get in unnoticed, we need to find a way that isn't heavily guarded," Kevin proposed. He got nods from everyone since fighting their way in sounded like suicide.

"Everyone has magical **Backpacks**?" Rick asked and saw them all nod. "Magical **S** **leeping** **B** **ags**?" And again everyone nodded. "Pack lots of food and water, changes of clothing, and anything else you thing we'll need," he urged them.

"I have 2 items that I think are magical but I don't know what they are," Jenny finally said. "I earned them...mostly." Actually both clients were assholes and she had taken them as restitution for their actions.

Rick offered to find out what they were in the morning after he memorized enough of the spells. "Remember to choose your spells carefully for being in a mountain." Rick looked at Lanie and Javi and started to look at Kate forgetting for a moment that she wasn't a Druid. "Best to hide Katherine's armor somewhere along with her scimitar," Rick advised her. Kate nodded in agreement; she thought she had the perfect hiding place.

Jenny's two items both turned out to be gems so they had been easy to take and hide on her person. "This one is an **Elemental Gem - Earth**. You break this and it will summon a large **Earth Elemental** to fight for you. A handy thing to have. Try to only use it when you have to."

"This one is a **Gem of Brightness** that has 35 charges left. A command word will produce a light equal to a hooded lantern. This action costs no charges. Another word will produce a ray of light out to 50 feet in length; anyone stuck by this ray risks being blinded. It costs one charge to use. Another word will produce a blinding flash of light in a 30 foot cone that will leave everyone permanently blinded unless cured. This action uses 5 charges. This might actually be a very handy item to have inside the mountain where it will likely be pitch black." Rick was impressed. Jenny just might be helpful after all.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was early and the sun wasn't even up yet; they were all standing at the boarded up entrance to the old mine as Kevin worked on removing a few of the boards carefully and quietly. " **Night Vision Goggles** and _Spells_ on?" he turned his head to ask everyone then removed his backpack and squeezed through to the other side. Just minutes later everyone was behind him, however they soon found that their single mine split into three caves. "Up against the wall," Kevin told them as he tried a trick. He pulled out something light and tested to see if there was a breeze. He found one in the shaft to the right. "We go this way."

Only about 160 feet in, the shaft became a tight slit at the bottom that was maybe 3 feet tall and was really rough looking, both top and bottom. Kevin took off his **Backpack** and pulled it behind him as he crawled on his belly into the unknown. Everyone else did what he did. "Come on boy, you can do it," Kate called to Dapper who was down on his belly crawling right behind her. "I know I'm not Katherine, Dapper but I don't think you're going to leave me, are you?" And she watched him crawl on his belly. A little behind her was Lanie who was having a bit more trouble, while behind her was Jenny who was the one having the most trouble. She just wasn't built for this. Next came Rick with Javi bringing up the rear as Storm crawled on her belly much like Dapper was.

Kevin was doing his best to try and twist and turn to make sure he traveled in the highest points since it got really tight in some places. It meant he and they were making some really tight turns that were hard on them. "I'm tired," Jenny complained. "I know Jenny but we need to keep moving. We can't afford to rest here. Have some trust in Kevin who's up front, he knows what he's doing," Lanie called back to her and saw her start crawling again. Lanie kind of felt the same though. When she was thinking about searching this mountain this definitely wasn't what she had in mind.

Then a pebble hit Kate in the head causing her to look ahead where she saw Kevin motioning for her to stop. It only took a few short minutes till they were piled up one behind the other while Kate waited for Kevin. He had gone out of her range of vision then after a short time he was finally back. He waved her forward and they continued crawling again single file.

Kate was soon just behind his feet much like the others, one after the other. " **Climbing** **Rope** ," Kevin called softly. Kate contorted her body to pull it out of her **Backpack** and push it forward. She watched him tie it off magically and then suddenly he just disappeared. She crawled forward to the rope and saw him climbing down. The **R** **ope** was 50 feet long and only got Kevin down to a plateau. Still he could see a tall shaft below him. "More **R** **ope** ," he called up softly. But Javi had it and he was at the end of the line.

It took time but Kate was able to drop Javi's magical **Climbing Rope** down to him then climbed down to join him. It was a good sized plateau allowing for both of them to stand easily with their **Backpacks** at their feet. "Come on boy, I'll catch you. I promise." Kate gestured for Dapper to jump. It took him a moment but he did it! Kate caught him with both arms and set him down. "Good boy, Katherine would be proud of you." She gave his ears a good scratch. Kate wasn't really a dog person, but this one never left her side and did everything he was told. What was there not to like?

"Wait here for my signal." Kevin threw Javi's tied off **Rope** over the side, activated his **Ring of Invisibility** , then disappeared. Only the movement of the **Rope** told Kate where he was.

Lanie was climbing down next to stand beside Kate and Dapper. Another pebble thrown by Kevin told her she was next and she got Dapper to jump again.

One by one they went down to join Kevin with Javi using the magic of the **Ropes** to untie them and hand Kate hers. Dapper and Storm seemed to be doing well in the dark so far. They were all in a shaft that was barely their height and was rough everywhere including the floor. "Tertiary tunnel," Kevin explained as he lead the way with Dapper just barely out in front of him. When Dapper stopped so did Kevin with Kate right at his back as they piled up behind each other again.

"We're five feet above a larger shaft with a floor that looks like it has been worked smooth," Kevin told her then worked his way down and activated his **Ring of Invisibility** again. A pebble hitting was her signal to climb down to join him. What she saw was a piece of chalk floating in the air as it marked the wall just below the opening. "This is for us for when or if we come back this way. This is a way out," Kevin's disembodied voice explained.

Soon everyone was in the shaft with an invisible Kevin farther out in front with Dapper just out in front of Kate.

About an hour later they were all standing several feet away from a large hole in the floor that reached completely from side to side. Across the way from it were three things: One was a burning torch on the wall that provided light. Second was a metal portcullis that was down. It was about 15 feet tall in a ceiling that was easily 30 feet tall. Third was a slit in the wall that was about 20 feet up that went from just short of the portcullis to the wall.

There was maybe a space of 2 or 3 feet just in front of the portcullis. The rest was a sheer drop down into the darkness. "Now what?" Kate asked. "My **Rope** can go across and tie itself to the gate but there's nothing on this end to tie to so we can get across hand over hand."

"I can with my **Winged Boots** ," Lanie informed them. "I'm just not sure I'm strong enough to lift that thing." She had her doubts. "I am, give them to me. I'll use them and throw them back for Kevin to use," Javi offered. "Here take this, it's not invisibility but it's better than nothing since I'm willing to bet that slot has eyes behind it." Kate handed over her **Chameleon Ring** to Javi.

Soon Javi was across as was Kevin who threw the **Winged Boots** back for Lanie to use next to carry Storm with her. Javi lifted the gate and an invisible Kevin slipped under then unlocked the door that lead to the watch area. Inside he shoved his dagger into a little man's back and punctured his lung; he gurgled up blood and died.

"What is he?" Kate asked having never seen anything like him before. He was short, maybe just over three feet tall. He had a long silver-colored beard along with some wild-looking spiked hair on his head that was also silver. "He looks like a cross between a man and a raccoon," Kate commented since it was the dark around the eyes that did it. Kate looked at Rick who simply shook his head.

A quick search found levers that opened the portcullis and extended the bridge to the other side. They elected to leave them the way they were. "This guy is a guard which means he will be expecting to be relieved either soon or maybe hours from now," Kate informed them. "Which means there will be more near here," Kevin added.

Everyone had their weapons out as they headed down the tunnel to where the garrison for this post was most likely stationed. "Just one guard might mean it's a small garrison," Kate offered hopefully as they get started walking. "It's also likely that this route's not heavily used since it had a single guard, and why have a guard post to stop everyone? You would just heavily guard the regularly used one," she added, thinking that they had just run across a rarely used way in.

It wasn't long before they found it and Kate got hit with another pebble getting her and Dapper to stop just as Dapper caught wind of them and started to growl. Though truth be told everyone knew it was coming since they actually had light.

An invisible Kevin showed up and started outlining what he saw and how many. "There are eight of them just like the first guy. It looks like they sleep and eat on each side of the tunnel. I didn't see any animals. Right now half are sleeping while the other half look to be playing a game of some type on the floor," Kevin explained.

"Craps maybe," Kate guessed and got a lot of blank faces. "Poker, blackjack, spades, hearts?" The blank look on their faces remained. "You do at least have cards here?" A quick nod told her that they weren't completely out of touch.

"We can't have them running to warn the others and we can't have them blowing a horn to warn the others either. This needs to be quick and as silent as possible," Kate told them.

"Kev, I want you to work your way down the tunnel past them. You're going to be our blocking agent. If anyone escapes us and makes a run for it, you have to stop them. I'll send Dapper to help once we are discovered," Kate said offering him some help. "I can send Storm too," Javi added.

"Let me use my **Chameleon R** **ing** and get close. When I attack, everyone else come running then we move on," Kate offered getting nods.

Kate had given what she hoped was enough time for Kevin to inch his way quietly past them as she started her way down the side of the tunnel carrying Lanie's staff as a weapon. She had heard of a weapon that intrigued her, however it had a price tag of 13,000 gold pieces which by then was way more money than she had. So it would have to wait.

Everything looked just like Kevin had described it as she slowed down and tried to become one with the stone wall; she even ignored the jagged points poking her in the back. The floor was mostly smooth, however nothing else in this tunnel was. Apparently they didn't have tunnel boring machines in this world, surprise, surprise!

Kate decided to hit the guy farthest from her as she ran past another block before Kevin. Kate started running, twirling her staff and hit her chosen target right in the back of the head just at the neck and hoped for the best. She raced past and gave the signal.

Turning around she found her guy lying on the ground while the other three were in shock but recovering quickly. It was just about then that Dapper and Storm came running full speed down the tunnel. She told them to go to Kevin and guard him and watched them speed past her. Just as the other four who had been sleeping started to get up, unarmed and without armor on, Rick came out in front with a wand in hand, then Javi and Lanie followed by Jenny.

Rick pointed his wand just as the first one reached Kate and out came a sheet of magnificent colors that immediately had the two on that side shrieking and digging at their eyes.

Kate had been expecting him. She twirled her staff and struck him directly on the nose then swept his legs out from under him. Which was good as the next one took his place.

It only took moments and Kevin didn't need to do a thing. Having been a thief/assassin most of her life, Kate had no qualms about giving the ones lying unconscious new smiles from ear to ear.

A quick search revealed nothing of value so they moved on after a short conversation. Kevin took point once more. "Even these eight can expect to be relieved, it's just a question of how soon," Kate warned them before heading off down the tunnel.

It wasn't until they hit another space that joined their tunnel much like the one they had used to enter did they stop. "Do we leave it unexplored behind us?" Kevin queried. He hated the idea, but it might not go anywhere and just die on them. It meant using the **Ropes** like last time.

"How do we get Dapper and Storm up?" Kate asked. Letting them jump and climb looked to be out unless they suddenly turned into mountain goats or maybe a leopard.

"Create a harness using the **Rope**. If it will tie itself around a rock, maybe it will tie itself around them too," Javi suggested and it had them working their way up a minute later.

It turned out that the **Rope** would do what they asked of it.

Soon they were all crawling on their bellies again pulling their **Backpacks** behind them after Kevin's little test proved that there was wind, so the tunnel went somewhere. They had been crawling for a short time when Kate got hit with another pebble. "We need a new warning system, this one sucks," she mumbled quietly to herself and looked back to see Dapper crawling on his belly.

Soon they were all on a ledge that looked like it had been worked on and then abandoned in favor of another direction. However it allowed them a perfect view of what was below. What they saw was a large cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites. There was also a wide trail that wound its way around the side with a small pool of water, maybe 20 by 20, that had a tiny waterfall which fell into it from way up high. It was also quite humid in this cave.

What really had their attention was the campsite next to the pond that had at least two dozen of those little raccoon-looking guys. Some were sleeping; most were up and about though only half of those were wearing armor or had weapons.

Then it was the three headed down past them and the three up the ramp that had their attention next. "This could be tricky," Kate deadpanned, knowing that they had to take them all out before moving on. And without any of them getting away to warn others. She prayed they didn't have a warning horn of some type.

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXxxxxXxxxXxxX

Say goodbye to season 9! Though for me i said goodbye to season 8 several episodes ago. Stana wanted to go out on top. Now she's going out on the bottom. She gets fired and her character gets killed. Hell of a way to end 7 terrific seasons.


	28. Chapter 28

**K and K 28**

They were both nervous as they could be. Martha Rodgers, Alexis's grandmother who was now her only family, was in the air. Simon had called to tell Katherine that he would be in the air soon and would be stopping to refuel in Honolulu this time before flying on to Fiji. He had told her not to worry about finding him a hotel room since he still had the house she had rented for him and his girlfriend who wouldn't be coming since she had to work.

Right now they were floating in the pool in their swimsuits while occasionally joining hands to calm each others nerves. This was Alexis's grandmother and Katherine desperately wanted to make a good impression. It was only now that she started to worry about the age difference. She knew they were only 2 years apart but in this world they were 15 years apart and Katherine could see it when they stood together in front of a mirror.

Alexis was nervous about what her grams would say about Katherine being older than her. She knew that she was going to have to tell her that they had become lovers. Would that change her attitude? Alexis thought she knew her grams pretty well, but this was different.

Floating in the pool just wasn't doing it for either of them. "This isn't working, any suggestions?" Katherine finally asked since she had had enough. "Just one," Alexis replied and rolled off her raft. She took her hand and escorted her to the master bedroom where she worked on removing Katherine's bikini top.

Hours later they were still in bed naked, wrapped up in each other. Alexis was smaller so she was all curled up in the curve of Katherine's body. Alexis had a hand over one of her breasts while Katherine had her arms wrapped around her. Suddenly Alexis felt Katherine moving her leg which had her spreading her legs just a little and found her thigh rubbing in just the right place. "Round three?" Alexis grinned while looking up at Katherine who had a sparkle of mischief in her eye. Alexis used her hand to tweak Katherine's nipple right up until a phone started ringing. They scrambled to unlock from each other and ran through the house naked trying to find the offending device. "Hello?" Katherine picked up the satellite phone just as Alexis found her and waited.

"Hello ma'am. I'm calling to let you know that we will be leaving Honolulu soon and should be landing in about 1-1/2 hours. We should clear customs maybe an hour later. I'll call you once we clear customs," Simon told her. "That's great Simon, call me and I'll pick you up and drop you off," Katherine offered. "That's not necessary ma'am, I'll take a taxi to the house and use its car after that. Do you wish to talk with her?" Simon asked since Martha wasn't far away.

"Yes please," And Katherine handed the phone to Alexis. "Your grandmother."

"Grams?" Alexis wanted to hear her voice.

"Alexis dear, how are you doing? I'm told we'll be there soon." Martha was still worried about her. Yes, she had lost a son, but Alexis had been talking his loss badly. "We're great Grams, your room is all ready and waiting for you." Alexis was almost bouncing and Katherine couldn't help but giggle a little. They had stripped the bed and put the sheets in the washer. They had gone shopping for things Alexis knew her grams would love to have in the bathroom. Then they made the bed and staged the room to please Martha.

"I'm anxious to meet this Katherine of yours. You wouldn't believe this plane I'm flying in." Martha had been shocked the second she saw it let alone sat in it drinking some of the best wine she had ever had. She had even found food to snack on and had offered to make a sandwich for Simon.

Martha's remark had Alexis grinning since she was just as impressed with the plane. "See you soon Grams." Alexis ended the call, put the phone on the table, and wrapped her arms around Katherine. "Thank you." She felt her heart opening and being repaired from the love she was giving out and getting back in return.

"I'm still worried Lex. I mean look at me, I'm 37 years old. What's she going to think?" Katherine couldn't help but fuss. "She's going to love you Kat, simply because I do. You'll see." Alexis reached up to give her a quick kiss.

"We should probably get dressed before she shows up unless you want to give her a heart attack," Katherine said. "And by dressed you mean bikini, wrap, and flip flops," Alexis said with a smirk.

Katherine groaned and remarked, "This is going to be hard. How am I supposed to keep my hands to myself with all that exposed skin?" Now that they had become lovers, they were both making up for lost time. True, ever since their first time they had kept their hands to themselves and not given in so they could give each other space. But that hadn't stopped the roaming hands that rubbed exposed skin or the quick little kisses. Now they had made love to each other for a second time and Katherine knew keeping her hands to herself was going to be difficult.

"I'm going to have to tell her since I want to be able to touch you and kiss you. I'll think of something." Alexis didn't know what yet but she would think of something.

It was just over two hours later and they were both standing just outside of customs waiting for Martha and perhaps to see Simon for the first time. Eventually Alexis started jumping up and down when a man with silver hair and a really thin, tall woman with short, red hair wearing something light that Katherine was sure could glow in the dark walked out, each trailing bags behind them. Alexis went running and enveloped the older woman and almost started crying. Simon for his part simply waved. "Have a nice stay ma'am and call me when you are ready to leave."

Katherine now had a face to the name and waited patiently for Alexis and her grandmother. "Grams, this is Katherine. Kat this is Grams. Martha Rodgers," Alexis quickly added. Katherine immediately found herself in the older woman's arms being hugged.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I can't begin to thank you for what you've done for Alexis. Losing her father has been such a huge blow for her." Martha wasn't going to talk about her own pain, she was dealing with it.

"I honestly didn't do anything. Lex has been amazing. I love having her over and she couldn't be left in that house she had rented. I've enjoyed her company." Katherine hugged her back lightly.

"That plane of yours is amazing and Simon is _such_ a gentlemen. If he didn't already have a girlfriend..." Martha made her wishes perfectly clear. "GRAMS!?" Alexis was embarrassed yet again.

"What? He's single and handsome." Martha shook her booty which had Katherine slapping a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. This was going to be a very interesting visit.

Martha watched everywhere they went as Katherine drove them home. "Thanks for coming Grams, you're going to love Fiji. There are resorts all over the place where you can have all different sorts of cuisine. The beaches are gorgeous. We even have a boat you can go out on." Alexis was smiling and she was more alive than Martha had last seen her. She also didn't miss the word _WE_.

' _Who have you found Alexis?'_ The plane alone told her something. As Katherine parked the car in the drive at the front door the house told her even more. "This is nice." Martha looked around at everything including the other houses in the area.

The house was white with palm trees in the frontage and a pair of large columns at the front entry. It was a curved driveway with a two car garage. She even liked the Range Rover they drove here in. It still had that new car smell. Just outside the wooden front doors she saw a koi pond that actually had koi in it.

Martha couldn't help it once she walked inside. "WOW!" just escaped her lips. As she looked out into the living room, dining room area that gave a hint of a kitchen on the other side of a wall. But it was the ceiling or more like the lack of a ceiling as she looked up and saw ceiling fans turning.

"Your room is this way Grams and then we'll give you the tour before going out to dinner." Alexis escorted Martha to her room. Martha didn't say a word however this spare room was almost twice the size of her room at the Loft.

"Get unpacked Grams while we get dressed for dinner." Alexis gave her a heartfelt hug and retreated back outside where she found Katherine waiting for her and hugged her too. "We're going out for dinner so go get dressed, just nothing fancy this time. And I'm buying!" Alexis poked her then gave her a quick kiss and retreated to her room.

Katherine chuckled at how happy she was and all it took was flying Lex's grandmother out here to join them.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate had come up with a plan and after some careful work they were all invisible including Dapper and Storm who found it hard to keep from growling at what they perceived as enemies. Now they were slightly separated. Javi with Storm was with the three that were watching the trail up while Kate and Dapper were with the three watching the trail leading down. The rest were mostly bunched up together.

Rick was supposed to pull one of his fireballs off his necklace and hand it to Jenny to throw just after he tried to get as many of them as he could with his **W** **and of** **Color** **Spray**. After that she was to throw the ball into the center and get as many of them as she could and then stand behind them and watch their backs.

Kate was absentmindedly twirling Lanie's staff waiting for Rick to use his **W** **and** which was their signal to attack. _'Hurry up, hurry up Rick. Dapper isn't going to hold it much longer.'_ Even Kate could hear his low rumble as he growled with his mouth closed.

Finally the space was lit up by a fan of brilliant colors. They could see all of the colors since the place was lit by torches everywhere. Kate and Dapper went into action as did Javi and Storm who thanks to his strength finished one swing before Kate did. She now owed Javi a gold piece; she just didn't know it yet.

Jenny threw her red ball and Kevin and Lanie made short work of the rest of them with just a single _Magic Missile_ spell from Rick.

Kate and Javi had searched their three and not found much. Now they were with the others searching their campsite. They only took the silver pieces and left the copper and each of them moaned when the _Detect Magic_ spell Lanie cast came up empty. "These guys are just the cannon fodder who work for peanuts," Kate offered in consolation.

Jenny, however, picked up something gross. "Definitely not peanuts." And dropped it after everyone got a quick look. "What are these things? Maybe your raccoon idea isn't far off," Jenny added thinking this place was junk.

"We've been walking, crawling, and fighting all day. Provided it has been a day. Do we set up our tent here?" Rick questioned just as Kate and Jenny's stomachs made their needs known.

"Indulge me for a moment," Kate asked as she held up a finger and started stripping down to just her bra and panties. "Put your eyes back in your head guys." Kate just knew she was being watched closely. "Or my boyfriend over there is going to hurt you. ...Now I saw this once in a movie. Okay, maybe two," Kate admitted as she stepped carefully into the pond barefoot and worked her way over to the waterfall then stuck her head through the waterfall to take a look.

What happened next was something she wasn't expecting. Something wrapped around her legs; she gave a yelp before gulping in some air just as it yanked her under water. Both Javi and Kevin jumped in the water to find her and kill whatever had dragged her under.

Several minutes later Kate was sitting on the ground coughing up water while looking at the dead giant anaconda that had attacked her. "Okay so I forgot about the horror movie that had the waterfall in it, too." Kate coughed again. "Please tell me it was worth it." She watched burly Javi with his **Belt of Giant Strength** plop a large ancient-looking wooden chest with a massive old world lock on it at her feet. "Good enough? We found it behind the waterfall," he told her.

"It is if there's something in it," Kate countered giving a quick cough into her hand with Rick's arms around her. "Well it WAS heavy," Javi added and they watched as Kevin worked on the lock. "The stupid thing is actually trapped, it's even magical in nature. I think its meant to blow up." he confessed then opened the lock after announcing he thinks he had solved the trap and opened the chest as everyone said, "Oooooo."

There were 3,300 platinum pieces making it 33,000 gold pieces. That would be 5,500 gold pieces per person. "Okay, a mouth full of dirty water just became worth it." She coughed again. "So how much space is behind the waterfall?" Kate was still hoping for a hidden tunnel or something, only to watch Javi and Kevin shake their heads. "SHIT!" In the movies there was a secret tunnel leading to still more treasure. "Stupid Hollywood." Kate whispers to herself.

"We should look at what's beyond here before we stop and set up camp," Javi advised and got Kate to nod.

"Take Dapper with you just in case, as well as Kevin and here, take my ring also." Kate took off her **Chameleon Ring** and handed it over. "Not too far and be safe," she called out to their backs. "I need to get dressed again."

They had cleared away a space for the tent by the time they came back. "It just keeps going though we're going to have a few choices to make. We ran across two locations that aren't just forks but true junctions," Javi informed them.

"Of course!" Kate moaned then said, "We're going to be down here for weeks." She put her head in her hands. "It's a big mountain babe," Rick commented, at which point Kate jerked her head up. "BABE!?" Kate burst out as she looked at him with love in her eyes. "If you don't like..." Rick was forced to stop talking when she kissed him. "I like it babe," Kate informed him.

Dapper and Storm had eaten roasted anaconda with their dog food then they were outside keeping watch while everyone else was in the tent and zonked out for the day.

After a cold breakfast and stowing the little triangle that was their tent, they were back in the tunnel with Kevin out in front followed by Kate and Dapper. Javi was last as he worked to remove any trail that they leave behind.

They came to their first junction and Kevin's test only showed air from one of the four directions. "Just because they're dead ends doesn't mean there's no one down there," Kevin pointed out. A few hours later and a few dead raccoon-looking guys and they were back to where they started only to have to make another choice just a few feet later. "At least it's not a labyrinth," Kate remarked. A few more hours later and they were right back where they started once more. Each side tunnel ended in a dead end, each had a few of the raccoon-looking guys, whatever they were.

"I'm starting to think all of these side rooms are barracks. The only question is where is everyone?" Kate questioned aloud. "Call me paranoid but I want you invisible when you're out front from now on. I don't want us walking into one of those races who can see 120 feet which is twice as far as we can. I'm not down here to get ambushed and killed, or worse."

It wasn't long after when Kevin suddenly showed up not far from her causing Dapper to growl and Kate to jump since she just knew there was something bad down here. "Sorry," Kevin apologized. He'd seen it and came back for her. "Leave Dapper, activate your **R** **ing** and come with me." Kevin held out his hand and became invisible again when she did.

It was maybe 200 feet or more as they walked however Kate noticed it getting brighter but said nothing. Eventually they stopped as they looked out over a really large cave. It was easily three times the size of the last one. This one, like the last one, had a waterfall that fell into an even larger pond that didn't get any larger even as water kept coming in. It was all lit up and they could see three different campsites. One of which even had a large tent with guards out front. "Holy shit!" Kate cursed and started counting.

After taking it all in they went back to where Dapper was standing with everyone else. "We've got major trouble. It's an area the size of Relfrin if not a little larger. The problem is they're separated into three individual groups. Each is in a campsite around an even larger pond of water with a waterfall. Then there's the large tent with guards outside it," Kate informed them and started using pebbles and a rock to draw it in the dirt. "I counted at least a dozen in each campsite," she told them as Kevin nodded in agreement.

"The tent likely means a leader; he'll be hard to kill. Maybe a Wizard's with him and likely a Cleric or something similar," Kate told them and got poked by Kevin. "Oh yeah, I also saw three of these enormously huge guys. Almost naked, no hair of any kind. One had a club about my size, while the other two had swords that were almost as tall as I am," Kate briefed them.

Rick started asking her questions then said, "Sounds like Cave Trolls. Very strong and very difficult to kill. From what I've read they're susceptible to fire. Still very strong though." Rick emphasized their strength. "We need a plan," Kate commented as she began trying to think of one. They decided to eat while they talked about what they could do and what they had that would help them.

XXXxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Everyone clear?" Kate asked looking at them one at a time and watched them nod. " _Lanie_ _has to be alive_ _to use this staff if it_ _'_ _s needed so we help her when or if she needs it._ _We lose her and we might all die,_ " Kate said grimly emphasizing Lanie's importance. A moment later everyone including Dapper and Storm was invisible again as they worked their way into position.

Since they had no real way to communicate that they were ready, they all got into position and waited. Again it was up to Rick to start things using his **W** **and of Color Spray**. That would be the signal for everyone to do their thing with what they had.

Kate was on one knee with Dapper next to her as she scratched his ears. "Easy boy, soon enough. Just don't get yourself killed or Katherine is going to kill me," Kate whispered in his ear.

Rick had total control; he was watching as the raccoon-looking men and the Cave Trolls wandered around. When finally he thought he had seen enough he pointed his wand at the largest group of raccoons that he could see and said the command word.

In one group, 8 of them screamed and clawed at their eyes. It was Jenny's turn as she expended 5 charges and counted herself lucky when 11 of them were gathered in one place and looked to be arguing with each other in a language that even she didn't know. Those 11 were now effectively out of the fight being permanently blinded.

Javi was next as he blew on his **Horn of Valhalla** and barely a moment later had six humans that went on a rampage attacking everyone in the camp.

Lanie cast _Summon Monster II_ and got her beetle that promptly spat a fan of acid at several of them.

"Let's go," Kate told Dapper and ran with Lanie's staff flipping in her hands. She struck one of the men guarding the tent and kept running then took a swing at the next man. Both of hers were down with Dapper doing his best to rip off the arm of the first one.

The enemy recovered quickly just not as quickly as anyone in their party. Javi put his **H** **orn** away and drew a white arrow with white fletchings and hit one of them and watched him fall asleep. With a wicked smile, he did it again and got the same result.

Lanie was just as prepared and cast yet another _Summon Monster II_ and got her second beetle that spat acid at another small group just as the first one spat again.

Rick fired his **W** **and** again and got another four of them then put it away and got ready for his next action.

Jenny used her **G** **em of Brightness** again and fired a ray to hit the one closest to her then searched for her **Elemental Gem** to give Kate support if she needed it. She watched her target scream and claw at his eyes.

Kevin used his **W** **hip** to hit someone in the back and watched him fall then got ready for the next one.

The enemy had to deal with the rampaging humans that didn't care who or what was in front of them; they acted absolutely fearless. One of the Cave Trolls headed for them while another went after the beetles while the third one just came into view.

Kate hit the second guy again to make sure he stayed down and waited for someone to come out of the tent while Dapper gave up on the arm since he had stopped moving.

Javi left the men he had called using the **H** **orn** to themselves; win or lose, it didn't really matter much at the moment. Presently all 6 of them still lived so that was good enough. Then he saw one of the Cave Trolls headed in Lanie's direction so he fired another white arrow and was rewarded by seeing him tumble to the ground and not get back up.

Rick wasn't a fan of the attention he was drawing so he pulled a wand, touched himself, and instantly vanished from sight. Jenny meanwhile pointed her **G** **em of** **Brightness** at another raccoon and watched him scratch at his eyes. However there were others to take his place as they began advancing on her.

Lanie cast _Summon Monster I_ and got a simple beetle who immediately attacked as the other two beetles spat more acid. It was the sound of the Cave Troll hitting the ground that got her attention. She saw a white arrow in his back which made her smile.

Kate was expecting another of those raccoon-looking guys; what she got instead was something that looked like a wolf only it was over twice the size of Dapper. Determinedly she spun Lanie's staff and hit it in the head causing it to stagger. It looked her way and showed a mouth full of teeth while it growled at her. She stepped back while still twirling the staff.

Jenny expended another five charges and watched everyone headed her way screech, drop their weapons, and claw at their eyes.

Javi took a peek at his fighters and saw that only three were still standing as they were left fighting just the Cave Troll. Happy with that situation he looked elsewhere then fired an arrow at someone just coming into view and watched him fall like the others.

Rick moved closer to Jenny who looked to be all alone thankfully and moved past her headed for the tent and Kate.

Kate was busy holding off the giant wolf while getting in a soft hit a couple of times. It was Dapper barking that had her attention as she watched a tall female who was all black like ebony wood with long silver hair dressed in armor and carrying a sword. The female pointed her crossbow at Dapper and she heard him whimper and fall. "SHIT!" Kate swore. Katherine was going to kill her.

Jenny watched another person much like the first one only this one looked like a male to her; he was wearing armor and carried a sword. Jenny threw her **Elemental Gem** , watched it break and summon a large **Earth** **E** **lemental** that immediately hit the female in the back causing her to cry out in pain. The male took his weapon and sliced at the **Earth Elemental** and hit him.

The giant wolf leapt and gave Kate an opening; she struck him hard and watched him fall. Next she pulled out an **Elemental** **G** **em** and looked at what was happening in front of her.

Kevin disappeared and showed up again a few feet away as he used his **W** **hip** to hit another raccoon-looking guy. He was now in a little trouble as 4 of them headed his way. Jenny, however, had seen them. She pointed her **G** **em of Brightness** at one of them and was rewarded with him stumbling as he dropped his weapon and clawed at his eyes.

From nowhere Kevin watched a ray come streaking in and drop another one. Two were better than four as far as Kevin was concerned.

Both of the ebony-skinned people with long silver hair swung on the **Earth Elemental** causing damage; still it hit back at the female who stumbled backwards and was bleeding badly. Kate wasted no time and threw her **Elemental G** **e** **m** and instantly got a **Fire Elemental** who attacked the woman and dropped her bleeding out and burnt.

Kevin got hit lightly but between him and Jenny with her **G** **em** **of Brightness** , the last two were no longer a threat. It freed up Rick to fire his last **Magic Missile** at the ebony-skinned male and watched it just fizzle out before it him. "Well SHIT!" Rick swore. Kate was rubbing off on him.

Javi watched the last two men battle the Cave Troll and started to think he was going to have to finish him off as he looked around for another target. He did see some but they were all either clawing at their eyes or wandering around with their hands out in front of them. He put his bow away, unsheathed his swords, and walked towards the Cave Troll while he still had some help to take some of the pressure off him.

Rick didn't have another spell he could use with Kate being so close and being in a hand-to-hand fight would be stupid so he was stumped as to what to do next.

Jenny, who was now next to him, didn't have that problem as she expended another charge. She watched her ray hit him and do nothing. "What is he?" she wondered. Rick knew the answer and knew he had to die by hand-to-hand fighting.

The **Earth Elemental** was still standing, though not looking that good, and hit the black-skinned male causing him to bleed. That was followed by Kate's **Fire Elemental** hitting him in the back causing even more blood to flow.

It was almost thirty minutes later and a bloodied Javi showed up. He had Lanie use one of her wands to fix him. Kate was sitting on the ground with what she found out was a sleeping Dapper in her lap wiping away tears. She wasn't supposed to be getting Katherine's only friend killed.

Storm poked her nose in to check on her friend. Once Javi had gotten in on the hand-to- hand fighting, Storm had done her best against the Cave Troll. "Did we get them all?" Javi asked and watched Kevin smile and run his finger below his neck from one side to the other.

"What were those two?" Jenny asked never having seen magic not work on someone.

"They're called Drow. Think of them as evil elves," Rick replied grimly as he answered her question.


	29. Chapter 29

**K and K 29**

It was one week later and most of them were back in Silverymoon doing some shopping since they had used up a fair amount of their magical items in their last attack. They had set up their tent and rested, recovered spells, and worked their way back out the way they had come in. It had taken time but they had not encountered any trouble. Presently they were selling Drow Armor and Drow Weapons along with the **Bolts of Sleep** and the hand crossbow.

They had gotten 9,000 gold pieces for the 2 Drow swords and another 9,000 gold pieces for the Drow armor which gave them 7,430 gold pieces per person after adding in all the platinum pieces, gold coin, and other items they had sold. It still wasn't enough for Kate to get what she wanted so she wasn't spending anything and had actually elected to stay home in Relfrin.

Four days later they were all back. "Hi guys, what did you decide on?" Kate was curious.

They had a **Necklace of Fireballs VI** (Lanie), **Vest of Escape** (Kevin), seven **Elemental** **Gems** (Jenny - Earth and fire) (Rick - Fire) (Kevin - Water) (Javi - Air and water) "The **Horn** is only usable once a week so we thought we could use some extra combat support," Rick explained. Though it was technically one week later, they might need to use it. "And I know you couldn't afford it since you have your heart set on the rod you saw, so I bought you one," Rick told her and handed over a brownish **Gem** (Earth). It earned him a quick kiss of thanks.

"Dinner is ready so go get cleaned up and I'll have it on the table. OH, I also filled another 8 pony kegs with Allspice, Cumin and Red Pepper Flakes. We can sell them next trip to Silverymoon," Kate told them. It had taken a lot of time and some serious work to keep pouring for hours on end but she'd done it. She really wanted that rod, so a little hard work that made her arm sore was worth it.

"We're going back in the same way?" Jenny questioned. "It's only been a few days and I doubt a larger garrison has found out they are dead yet, so yes. We'll naturally need to keep our eyes open for signs. If any of the dead bodies are gone, things are moved, that kind of stuff."

"Oh, and I think Guri gave us something. The food downstairs is now frozen solid just like I have back in my world. You can confirm it if you want, but I'm thinking that the shelving down there is magical and is making what we have in the freezer section to be frozen, while what's in the cooler is only cold," Kate informed them since she had inspected both rooms.

"Was that on the list?" Lanie asked and saw them shaking their heads. She wondered what they needed to do for those magical items. Nothing was ever free especially magic items.

"Get some sleep and we'll leave before the sun comes up again," Kate advised. However none of them got that much sleep that night. She had shared her sponge trick on how not to get pregnant with the other two women so three sponge slices soaked with the oil got used that night.

There were 6 totally sated lovers come morning.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Have you two been here before?" Martha looked around at the restaurant they had taken her to at a local resort. "A couple of times, yes. Katherine is a terrible cook Grams," Alexis teased smiling widely.

"I actually cooked for myself when I was old enough to since my parents worked out in the fields," Katherine explained. "Your parents are farmers?" Martha inquired. "We owned a nut farm. Walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans. I think we were doing alright. I wasn't involved in the money part," she clarified. "Well I'm sure your parents are proud of you. You've obviously done well for yourself," Martha mentioned thinking about the house, plane, and car.

"My parents are dead, killed when I was 19," Katherine told her. She used Kate's past to tell her about her parents. "Oh no, I'm so sorry dear. It must have been hard for you. Still you've done well; I'm certain they would be proud of how you've done," Martha assured her.

"Alexis tells me you met on the beach." Martha forged ahead to learn more about the woman who has her granddaughters heart.

"I had decided to get out of the house and away from the problems of that house. We were both running the same way down the beach," Katherine replied. "I invited her out to eat and she saw the house and offered one of her spare bedrooms. To be honest it was the ants in that house that got me to accept. I probably should have moved to a hotel but I didn't and now I'm glad I didn't," Alexis grinned at Katherine in answer to Grams.

"I tried to talk her into getting her money back or at least put in a complaint, but she wouldn't," Katherine explained a little. "It was my mistake to rent it so I was going to just live with it till Katherine came along," Alexis said defending herself a little.

"Well, I thank you for your kind gesture. Alexis has suffered enough lately and didn't need to be in a house she didn't like," Martha remarked. "Her father, she told me. It was a pain I could relate to," Katherine replied somberly.

The rest of the night went calmly without any real digging into Katherine's past. Martha was presently content.

It wasn't until morning when she rose early to find Alexis in the kitchen cooking that she brought up Alexis and Katherine's relationship. "Morning my darling," Martha caroled as she came up behind her and kissed her head. "Morning Grams. I'm making omelets if you would like one," Alexis offered. "I believe I will dear, thank you," Martha replied, opening the refrigerator where she found the juice and poured a glass.

"Please tell me you're happy here. You shouldn't be wallowing in pain after losing your father. He spent his entire life trying to make you happy," Martha pleaded. She wanted to talk alone finally.

"I'm happy Grams. I like it here and I think Dad would approve," Alexis answered her and continued, "Kat makes me happy, she's amazing."

"And what about the age difference dear?" Martha questioned, wondering if she had heard correctly. "I know there's a difference Grams, but I don't see it to be honest. Maybe if she was a few years older I might, but I don't and I'm not going to let it," Alexis answered, serving Martha's omelet and starting work on hers now. "She _is_ going to get older dear," Martha pointed out. "And so am I," Alexis countered.

"What about your classes, don't they start soon?" Martha inquired. Did Alexis have a plan for that? "I know and we've talked about it a little. I even asked her to come to New York if you don't mind," Alexis responded. Martha still lived in the loft with her. "Of course I don't mind. Katherine obviously makes you happy. Does she want to come?" Martha asked. She knew New York City wasn't for everyone. "And what happens if she hates New York?" she questioned.

"We haven't talked about that yet. And she'll like New York." Alexis made a silent prayer since she didn't know what she would do if she didn't. "Just be careful dear, I don't want to see you hurt," Martha cautioned.

"It'll be great Grams and I love her so we'll think of something and we'll do it together." Martha had her answer and it made her thank Katherine for this just a little more. Provided that it worked out.

"You should go change into something light. It can get hot here especially later in the day. The A/C units work but if we go somewhere, you'll bake in anything heavy," Alexis warned her as they finished their breakfast.

"I hope we're all ready to see me in a swimsuit." Martha wasn't looking forward to it even though she had gone out and bought two one-pieces before coming here. She was convinced it was not going to be pretty. Alexis grinned. "It'll be great Grams and I promise we're not going to judge."

Katherine finally showed up after Martha had left to change. "Omelet or something else?" Alexis offered. "I'm thinking just fruit and toast and no," Katherine said firmly. Alexis laughed since the "no" meant no coffee. "Where's your grandmother?" Katherine asked while looking in the refrigerator.

"Grams is changing into a swim suit. Please don't say anything when she comes out. She's convinced it's going to be a disaster," Alexis asked her. "I'm sure it won't be that bad, but I promise anyway," Katherine assured Alexis.

They could hear Martha's flip flops before they could see her. It took a lot of will power for both of them to not say anything and keep their faces neutral. Martha really could stand to gain just a little weight. "I warned you two," Martha said. She saw through everything. "Wait here," Katherine told her and jogged to her bedroom. She was back a moment later and tying a wrap around Martha's waist. She stepped back to look everything over. "Perfect," Katherine announced.

"Shopping later? Maybe find something you can't live without?" Katherine suggested. "We can take the boat to Australia while you're here or have Simon fly us if you can't find anything you like here," she offered.

"I believe I will just stay here and shop, though being in Sydney has some appeal. I've never been down under," Martha stated. "Then we'll just have to go. I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for the day," Katherine announced and headed for her room. "Me too," Alexis chimed and went to her room first before sneaking into the master bedroom and slipping into the shower Katherine was using.

Both of them were in different bikinis and glowing when they joined Martha near the pool. She was reading a book she had found. "Have you tried the Xanth series. I love those books. I still have a few I need to finish," Katherine gushed and grinned over those books. "I believe I'll stick with this one for now, thank you though," Martha replied.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Martha found out over the next two weeks that those two were a very active couple. Going to the beach, out on the boat, out to do all kinds of things, only a few of which she joined them in. Where they both found the energy escaped her.

"Are you coming with me? Please." Alexis wasn't above begging. She liked Fiji but she needed to go back to New York and go to college. "Maybe we can find you something in college to study. Please!"

"New York," Katherine said somewhat dubiously. She had heard Alexis play it up as the greatest city on the planet. "We can share the master bedroom," Alexis wheedled. She was willing to go into her dad's room to sleep if Katherine was there even though she needed to clean out her dad's things. Neither she nor Martha had gotten around to it; they hadn't the heart to manage it yet. Emptying the room meant coming to terms that he was gone.

"You're sure?" Katherine asked and watched Alexis nod. "Fine. I'll call Simon and we can leave in the morning. How do I take my clothes?" She had always had clothes when she got there. "We search your room for suitcases like mine or we go buy them. How many clothes do you have here?" Alexis inquired. They had both only been wearing bikinis since Alexis moved in.

It turned out she had a fair amount after searching her closet but none of it was for cold weather. It was starting to get cool in New York and only going to get colder. Still Katherine had money and New York had stores.

Alexis gave up her commercial ticket which got on her nerves a little at the waste of money, however it meant she got to be with Katherine as they all flew to New York after refueling at Honolulu.

Katherine hadn't seen buildings that were overly tall except for the resorts in Fiji. She had wondered how they built anything that tall. That was until she was in a taxi with them in downtown Manhattan as she strained to look up at the buildings that were unbelievably tall. Katherine had lots of questions but had to bite her tongue since Martha was with them. She had even more questions as they all crammed into the elevator for the ride up to the top floor where the loft was. During her time in Kate's world she had never been in anything that did this.

Without Alexis she just knew she wouldn't even think about staying in this world. Her problem now was how to convince Kate to let her stay.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They had walked, crawled on their bellies, and walked still more. They set up their tent at their first fight and had moved on the next day, reaching their largest combat site yet no long after.

"It looks like I remember it," Kate commented as they looked around. "Even all of the dead bodies are still here," she added. Kate had dealt with her fair share of dead people seeing as how she had done the killing, so seeing them didn't phase her and certainly didn't phase the others. Jenny was the only one who had made a face of disgust about it.

"So these Drow are the powerful ones and there were only two here. That leads me to believe that these raccoon guys are just cannon fodder for them. They make all the decisions and get these guys to do all the hard work for them. Given what we found in their tent, they like comfort (they had sold everything they could stuff into their respective backpacks. Nice bedding, an intricate tapestry) and had enough to pay these people what they wanted," Kate mentioned what she was thinking.

"Meaning we'll see more of both," Jenny said a bit fearfully. She was catching on and Kate nodded in agreement.

Kevin was out in front using his **Ring of Invisibility** with Kate and Dapper next, followed by Lanie, Jenny, Rick, and finally Javi and Storm. They couldn't discount the possibility that someone or some thing could come up behind them. Ignoring their six might get them all killed. It did, of course, mean going deeper into the mountain they lived on.

They were doing fine till Kate got hit with still another pebble that had her groaning. "I forgot to solve that problem," she grumbled. Kevin showed up and asked her to leave Dapper behind and use her **Chameleon** **Ring** to follow him.

It didn't take that long and Kate found that their tunnel just suddenly opened up into a monstrous cave that was so tall she couldn't see the top. What had her attention was the lake that didn't seem to end. She also saw a large dock area. There were actually three walkways that went out into the lake. Tied to that there were six large boats or maybe barges would be more accurate. There was also a handful of smaller boats meant to move people. In addition to that were individual row boats that were all either on land or partially in the water. Worse, if that was possible, there were raccoon guys all over the place; it had Kate busy counting.

It looked like most of them were loading a barge with boxes, barrels, and crates using a small crane attached to the dock. There was a crane for every barge she saw. Then there was a large building made of mostly stone off to one side. None of them were going in or out of it but it still needed to be investigated.

They made their way back to the others and took turns explaining what they saw. "I'm thinking the building is a warehouse used to store goods. They load it onto the barges and go out either onto the lake or across to the far side or maybe both," Kate offered her hypothesis.

"So who are they supplying and with what?" Rick questioned. "We didn't see an end to the lake or anything on it. Obviously there is one, just how far away it is or what's out there is unknown right now," Kate said then added, "We still need a plan."

An hour later everyone including Dapper and Storm were invisible and spread out just a little in groups of two this time. Lanie was Kevin's hand-to-hand support, Kate was Jenny's, and Javi was Rick's. Once again Rick and his **Wand of Color Spray** was going to be their signal.

The best part about all of this was there looked to be only a handful of raccoon guys armed and armored like guards, though to Kate's way of thinking they were way too lax. "Amateurs," she said snidely.

Rick finally saw his best option. There were nine of them working hard, struggling with getting the next set of goods into place for the crane. He fired. They naturally screamed and started clawing at their eyes having suddenly gone blind. Javi, who had purchased every magical **Sleep Arrow** he could find in Silverymoon, shot one of the ones on the barge and then another quickly and watched both of them fall.

Jenny was waiting for their reaction and was rewarded with a large group of them running down the dock towards shore to attack the two people that had suddenly showed up. Jenny used up 5 more charges and was rewarded with all 11 of them screaming and scratching at their eyes after becoming permanently blind.

Lanie cast a _Summon Monster II_ and got her beetle that shot acid at the other dock.

That got everyone who was left into the fight as Kate was twirling Lanie's staff just waiting for the first one to get into range. She hit him causing him to fall.

It only took minutes and all of the raccoon guys were either dead or blind but still willing to fight as they swung whatever they could find at every sound they heard. Kevin took his time and killed all of them except three. Jenny tried every language she knew which was an impressive number as far as Kate was concerned. However the three raccoon guys either yelled or mumbled back in a language none of them understood.

"So we still don't know what's out there," Kate commented as the last of the raccoon guys died. "Anyone good with boats?" Kate inquired. She only knew how to operate motorized boats; all of those looked like different sized row boats.

"What if there's an empty barge headed this way?" Kate questioned, seeing at least two empty spaces. "Or is already on its way to whatever's out there?" she pondered. Still they couldn't do anything about it and after searching a little they found that most of it was food and drink along with weapons and building supplies. "They're building something maybe?" Kate posed the question.

An hour later they were all in one of the boats they aspired to handle and were busy rowing out into what they hoped was the middle. Their only problem was they were all rookies at this and they could only see out 60 feet so they had no real way to tell if they were going in circles. Maybe big circles since it seemed like they were going straight but there was no real way for them to tell. Still they kept rowing and their arms were starting to complain at how they were being treated.

It was the glow of lights that got their attention and they made sure they were rowing toward it. As they got closer the number of lights kept growing and all of them wondered just what they were headed for. As they got closer Rick asked, "Is this what I think it is?" He turned his head to look harder. "We need to turn! We can't land at their dock, we'll never make it anywhere alive!" Kate warned them. They turned and kept rowing till they found a spot that had no movement. They came into shore that was a little rocky and grounded their boat. They had to get wet to tie the boat into place so they could perhaps use it later.

"It's a city, not Silverymoon sized, but bigger than Relfrin," Lanie remarked looking at everything. "It's likely filled with those raccoon guys," Jenny pointed out. One question that needed an answer was were they on the tip of a peninsula or were they on an island?

"Time to disappear," Rick asserted and took out his wand and touched everyone but Kevin, including Dapper and Storm who weren't stupid. They were beginning to see the benefit of having Rick touch them with his stick.

They stuck to the border of the area and kept the water to their right till they found a narrow land bridge that went off towards still more lights. "Peninsula it is then," Kate announced. They also saw short sections of bridges across the rocky land bridge. Staying on the land bridge, they were able to go under one of these bridges to get on the other side. They continued their tour around what was there till they came across another dock area that had a few boats and a couple of barges, one of which was being unloaded.

"This is a warehouse area filled with everything they need over there," Kate remarked. "It looks like we have some time till they will be expecting the next barge so we have time before they become aware of what we've done," she said. "Or a caravan shows up and they row across to warn them over here," Lanie countered. "They get these supplies from somewhere," Lanie defended herself. The others agreed quietly.

"I suppose we can just walk across the bridges while still invisible," Kate commented but couldn't see anyone nod because they were all still invisible. "Through the warehouses or back the way we came?" Kate questioned and the winning vote was back the way they came. They wanted to avoid combat here and not have someone they missed sound the alarm. They were here to find out what was going on and they couldn't do that if they were running for their lives.


	30. Chapter 30

**K and K 30**

"This is nice, a little smaller but nice. It looks more..." Alexis answered for her. "More like Dad than me?" Alexis offered. "I didn't mean...I'm sorry Lex," Katherine said contritely then hugged her.

"The master bedroom is through there, let me put my bag in my room and I'll help you unpack." And Alexis pulled her bag upstairs following Martha.

Katherine saw an almost entire wall of books with a desk on the other side then she continued into the bedroom. This room was smaller too though the closet was big as was the bathroom. Opening up dresser drawers she found clothes. It was the same with the closet.

"I'm intruding," Katherine commented to herself. "No you're not, I want you here. We just couldn't bring ourselves to clean out the room. It's silly I know but if we didn't touch it it made it feel more like he wasn't gone. We didn't have to deal with the truth. It does need to get done though and with you here we have a reason," Alexis said a bit tearfully. She wrapped her arms around Katherine to show that she wanted her here.

"We should start packing," Martha declared as she entered the room and watched Alexis and Katherine jump away from each other. She smiled gently and didn't say a thing. Alexis was happy and she had to thank Katherine for that. Maybe it meant she wouldn't get any grandchildren, but what she wanted wasn't important.

"I'll go down to the storage locker and get the boxes," Alexis announced and left the room. Getting a number of boxes and leaving them in storage was as far as either of them had gotten.

Martha and Katherine had the dresser empty with everything on the bed when Alexis showed up with all of the boxes then went in search of the tape. They had the bed emptied in no time.

The next task was to empty the closet. Alexis and Martha were both doing fine till Alexis ran across a birthday present for her that that was beautifully wrapped with a gorgeous bow. She sat on the floor holding it close, weeping. Her birthday wasn't for another month but her dad had already gotten her something.

In somewhat of a daze, Alexis found herself sitting on the sectional with a glass of water close by and her wrapped present on the coffee table. " _DAD_..." Alexis reached for the present, studied it, and even shook it which gave her no clues. It wasn't that big, about the size of a shoe box. It had some weight to it but not that much.

Alexis started to put it back when she noticed the kleenex box. She put her present down, reached for a kleenex and was still using it when she entered the master bedroom again where Katherine and Martha were still boxing up his clothes.

Martha noticed her first and hugged her. "How are you doing kiddo?" Just when Martha thought Alexis was doing better she took a hit to her heart. "Dad bought me a birthday present Grams...months before my birthday." Alexis felt Katherine rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms from behind. "It's the last birthday present I'll ever get from him," she sobbed. Alexis used her kleenex to attack the tears that wouldn't stop. "We can finish here; you should go sit down Lex," Katherine said gently still rubbing Alexis's arms. She watched her nod her head and went back into the living room.

"What can we do for her?" Katherine asked looking at Martha. "We let her be for now. She's strong and will recover," Martha replied, proud of Alexis. She had seen her strength before.

They were almost done emptying the closet before moving into the bathroom. "Where is all of this going?" Katherine questioned since there was a lot clothing and accessories. "We're donating all of it. Richard would approve I think. Before I forget, there are more sheets and a comforter you can change to if you don't like what's on the bed," Martha told her.

"It'll be fine, thanks though." Katherine wasn't a fan but if she stayed here for long she could change it later. She actually liked Kate's style and colors so maybe she would change it to those.

"I'm going shopping since we don't have much to eat here. I'll be back soon." Martha kissed Alexis's head and left. Alexis immediately felt herself being pulled into Katherine's body as soon as Martha was out of the door.

"What do I do with it?" Alexis asked softly still looking at her birthday present. "You open it on your birthday just like you were supposed to do, just like all of your other presents you'll have just as soon as you tell me when your birthday is," Katherine replied and hugged her tighter for a moment. "Only if you tell me yours," Alexis countered. Katherine smiled. "Deal," she proclaimed.

They were both in the same spot when Martha entered with Eduardo carrying grocery bags. Alexis and Katherine got up to help. "Thank you Eduardo," Martha said and gave him a tip for his help. "It was a pleasure Ms. Rodgers. I'm happy to have both of you home," he replied. That he was going to miss Castle was left unsaid but they both heard it none the less.

Katherine knew where food should go so she helped put it all away. "Feeling better kiddo?" Martha hugged Alexis again. "I'm fine Grams," she insisted. Alexis was better but her tears were still only a heartbeat away. "Well I've had a busy day so I'm going to relax for a bit. Call me when dinner's ready or we can order out. Don't over work yourself my darling," Martha said lovingly then kissed her head and headed up the stairs to her room.

"Order out?" It was a term Katherine wasn't used to. "You can get anything delivered here including complete meals ready to be eaten. Pizza, Chinese, Indian, Italian..." Alexis was interrupted. "I love your pizza!" Katherine announced after having watched Alexis use the pizza oven at the home in Fiji. "Pizza it is then," Alexis agreed.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They were actually crossing the various number of little bridges and land that connected the dock/warehouse area and the city or town beyond. As they got closer, more and more lights came into view; Kate wasn't liking it much. They were touching each other to keep track of at least one other person. Kate called a halt before they got too close.

The city, if that was what it was, soared in height. If the front doors at the gate were any indication, this place was tall, like 10 or more storys tall. From the outside it looked like a fat stalagmite that had met a stalactite forming one big thick column. And it was a massive column, easily 250 to 300 feet across at the base, tapering off as it rose to the ceiling.

"It has gates that look guarded. I count at least 10 floors and maybe an eleventh," Kate said. It was difficult to get a clear view from her vantage point. "I also count four balconies. One above the gates that looks manned. The next is one level up on the left that's equal in size. The one above the first balcony looks to be curved and might go half way around if not more. The last one's two floors above that on the left; it's curved and looks as big as the other one," Kate observed.

"I see almost no openings till the same level as the first balcony. After that there are openings everywhere, especially higher up," Kevin commented as he was thinking about how to get inside. "Think we can get to the first balcony on the left?" Kate asked his opinion.

"We'll have to tie our two ropes together and do a lot of vertical climbing. It's getting under it that looks treacherous," Kevin said worriedly. "I can fly up and keep watch on the balcony," Lanie offered. "What about Dapper and Storm?" Kate questioned. "I take one with me and come back for the other," she shrugged. Lanie didn't see a problem and besides, it meant she wouldn't be alone. "Stay to the left and get off this bridge as soon as you can," Kate told them and they headed out again.

They could hear Lanie calling for Dapper followed by, "Here we go." Meanwhile Kevin took Kate and Javi's **R** **ope** **s** and sent one end up to attach itself to the railing and began climbing.

It hadn't been easy to get to this place. There was a 60 foot drop between where the city started and what was down below. This level had a narrow walkway that varied from maybe just over 3 feet wide to under 2 feet wide. They had sent more than one rock falling to the bottom below.

Kevin was still climbing since he hadn't signaled. "Come on girl, you're next,"Lanie called to Storm and they were gone. A little while later they were all resting as Kate and Javi got their **Ropes** back checking out the doors before going inside.

"Think we can make the next balcony? I'm betting the more important people are on the upper levels while the canon fodder occupy the lower levels," Kate stated positively. She was willing to risk it. Besides it might be tight quarters inside and even being invisible didn't prevent them from being bumped into from anyone that tried to pass by them.

A while later they were all hunched over huffing and puffing and were now on the highest balcony there was or so they thought. "One more maybe, it looks like a room's personal balcony," she suggested. Kate was pointing, not that anyone saw her.

Shortly they were all crowded onto that one little balcony resting while Kevin, with shaking hands, took his time to check the door for traps and attempted to unlock it. "It's not locked," Kevin announced in surprise and simply opened the stained glass door. Just seeing this door affirmed Kate's hunch. She'd known she was right.

The room had light from the top of a pole that never went out. " _Continual_ _L_ _ight_ spell," Lanie said. "Search the room. Kevin, Javi, and I will guard the door," Kate told them. They bumped into each other a little till they were satisfied with their positions.

"Got something," Rick called out, followed almost immediately by Jenny. "There's a number of magical items all over the place," Lanie announced and the three of them coordinated what they had and stuffed it all into their backpacks. "Ready," Lanie said as Kevin unlocked the door and took a peek. He saw a curved hallway with two doors to his left and an opening to another hallway that looked like it had stairs to his right.

"Left, first door on the left," Kevin whispered and they worked their way down the hallway one next to the other. "Locked," Kevin stated quietly then opened the door a moment later.

Lanie's spell was still working and she pointed out everything that was magic followed by them quickly searching the room while the same three guarded the door. "Next door down on the left," Kevin told them after everyone said they were ready.

Kevin informed them softly that the door was locked but he opened it in a moment. This room, like the last two, was a bedroom for someone who was tall. Lanie's spell gave out not long after they entered, still she pointed everything out as they searched it. "This is the third time I've found one of these medallions with a spider on it," Lanie remarked somewhat perplexed. She compared it to hers of Pelor. "They worship a spider?" she questioned.

They moved to the next two rooms till they were back to the space with the hallway that had been to their right that had stairs going up. "Why no doors to the inside?" Kate queried softly. The stairs led to yet another door. "Locked," Kevin announced quietly then opened it. This room was similar to the other rooms but it was twice as large and had a library. This time Rick cast the _Detect Magic_ spell and started calling out what was magical including a few books. They had to stuff the items into the others backpacks since theirs were now full.

They had only just started searching the space when Dapper and Storm almost simultaneously started growling lowly. They watched the door open and in walked a male Drow followed by a female Drow who closed and locked the door behind her. They headed for a table where the male picked up a bottle and a glass then began talking, not that any of them understood a word. It was Javi drawing one of his swords that got the male to drop his bottle and glass. Hearing them break, the male Drow drew his weapon while the female started casting a spell.

All hell broke loose. Javi drew his other sword, slashed at the male then blinked into view showing himself. This was followed almost immediately by Kevin hitting the female, ripping her face open causing her to scream in pain and her spell to fail. Jenny expended a charge and hit the male with a ray that seemed to fizzle the second it hit him then she too was visible.

Kate took her turn and hit him directly on his kneecap then used the staff to slip between his legs; he landed hard on his back in an instant. Rick took out his silver dagger and stabbed the female in the back causing her still more pain.

Lanie was not to be outdone as she pulled out her mace and hit the male straight in the face. Still the female recovered quickly, maybe just too quickly. She unsheathed her sword and stabbed Rick deeply, very deeply. He fell backwards bleeding badly.

Kevin whipped her in the face yet again causing blood to run down her face into her eyes. Kate was quick and thrust the end of Lanie's staff down into the male's face. That was followed by Javi all but cutting his head off.

The female swung her sword slashing Lanie in the back as she had turned to move towards Rick to help him. She cried out in pain and began bleeding heavily.

Kate twirled the staff and struck the female in her sword hand forcing her to drop her weapon as she clutched at her hand. Javi didn't need to move, he just twisted in place a little and hit her twice of his three swings. She hissed at them and died when Kate hit her again.

Javi was getting Lanie to drink after she cast a _Cure Light Wounds_ spell on Rick just to help him for a minute. "Give me my staff before he dies," Lanie demanded, holding out her hand. Kate placed the staff in it then Lanie expended a charge to bring Rick back to perfect health and then did the same for herself.

Lanie handed the staff back to Kate. They start searching the room while Rick walked around making everyone invisible again thankful that there hadn't been room for the wolves to attack; he was running low on charges.

"How did these two get up here? We didn't come across any stairs going anywhere else," Kate commented, at which point they went back out into the hallway. This time Kevin was using his hands. Too much time later they were back where they started. "I got nothing," Kevin had to admit. "They got up here somehow!" Rick retorted. "Maybe it's another illusion like the tower at home?" he suggested. "No dirt," Kevin pointed out. "We found powder!" Lanie exclaimed then took out one of the jars from her backpack and tried to find Kevin so he could use it.

It took some work and sharp eyes but they found the opening that lead into the center of the city. They found it was an illusion on both sides. What they also found was a large, wide, spiral staircase that went down several floors. However, it was the balcony on this floor that had their attention. Moving over to it they could look out onto a monstrously large central opening. It was one huge central atrium all the way up, even higher than they were.

There was a lot of screaming going on and as they looked out they saw literally hundreds of raccoon guys lining the edge, floor after floor of them. Down at the bottom stood 10 Drow, half female and half male. The floor had hundreds more of the raccoon guys. They motioned for quiet and when they finally got it one of the females started yelling. Unfortunately none of their group understood a word she said.

The raccoon men and women started a chant when suddenly something disgusting suddenly appeared in the middle of the Drow. It was huge and looked like a spider that had the upper body of a female in place of the spider's head. The female portion was actually rather lovely and could give Jenny a run for her money. The rest of her was rather disgusting though. Then she began speaking and everyone became silent.

As with the Drow they didn't understand a word she said. "We need to get out of here!" Rick whispered. "That's a Goddess and if _**She**_ sees us or finds us we're dead or worse...tortured for all eternity," he breathed softly while _**S**_ _ **he**_ spoke. Rick felt around and started pushing till he was last and looked back for one last look before following the others.

They were all out on the tiny balcony. "A goddess, seriously?" Kate questioned skeptically. "A Goddess much like Pelor is a God and we need to get out of here, so everyone over the side and we don't stop until we make it to Silverymoon," Rick said urgently and gave whoever was closest a little push.

It was so far and so much work to get home. Weary beyond measure they were forced to stop at the small pond one more time, still not seeing anything that had been moved, including the dead bodies that were going to seriously begin to stink soon.

Rick drove them relentlessly from Relfrin to Silverymoon without stopping. They simply walked the horses more until they reached their Inn. At the gate they made a request to see Guri then went back to their rooms to wait. As they waited they started going over everything they had brought with them and sold the Drow armor and weapons.

Drow weapons and armor - 48,000 gold pieces.

They found that all of the bedding was magical and would grant the sleeper a full night's sleep. It would also keep them in a temperate climate as well as cure most any wound and remove any non-magical disease during that sleep. They decided to keep all six of those. Everything else, save for the magical books and the potions they found, netted them another 56,000 gold pieces. It meant each of them got 17,333 gold pieces plus a few silver pieces and a couple of copper.

Kate clapped her hands together when the seller handed over her **Rod of Python**. It was a magical quarterstaff that with a command word, could turn itself into a giant constrictor snake. If the snake was killed it would revert back into a quarterstaff and not be able to turn into a snake again for a week. Kate now had her own weapon and could give Lanie back her staff. 13,000 gold pieces was the cost. Kate then spent money on the only 2 **Elemental Gems** (Air and Water) they still had at 5,000 gold pieces total.

Javi - He elected to have _Keen_ (which sharpened the sword to a razors edge and never lost it so that it increased his ability to actually chop of a limb with just one strike) and he also added _Flaming_ to it so that it actually glowed with fire and did fire damage to everyone who was hit. - 18,000 gold pieces.

Lanie - She chose to add _Disruption_ to her mace (which would destroy into dust any undead that is struck). They hadn't as yet encountered any undead however she listened to what undead were and what some of them could do to a person. "I'll take it!" she told the merchant gladly.

Rick - (who still had the most amount of money) **Golem Manual of Stone** (All you have to do is read the manual over 30 days of combined time and you will have a **Stone Golem Guardian**.) "Once I'm done it will protect us and our home from intruders," he explained. It earned him a heartfelt kiss from Kate as he was thinking of their future security. - 23,000 gold pieces.

Kevin - He chose to add _Ghost Touch_ to his **Whip** (Undead that are not corporal are difficult to hit and _Ghost Touch_ will allow the wielder to hit any undead) "I heard everything Lanie did," Kevin defended himself. Then he added _Spell Storing_ to his **Whip**. (you can have a spell caster store a spell that can be discharged by the wielder) "Either Lanie or Rick can put a spell into it and I can use it when I choose to," Kevin explained.

Jenny - **Staff of Charming** ( _Charm Person_ is one charge, _Charm Monster_ is two charges and the staff has 25 charges till it is used up). "I already have _Charm Person_ but I can only do it once at the moment. Now I can charm anyone or anything...maybe," Jenny defended her choice. None of the charms were guaranteed to work, even her own spell.

They each found a note stuffed under their doors at the Inn. "Go home and wait." That was easy enough so they packed up and took the next two days to go home. Once there they thanked and paid Seven's two sons for all they'd done and waited for their delivery since they had ordered a delivery of food for the horses.

Three days later a plain-looking woman walked into the open stables while Kate and Jenny were bushing down the horses. "Can we help you?" Jenny inquired then started thinking about her _Charm Person_ spell in case she needed it.

"If the others are here we need to talk about what you have found," she told them. "Guri?" Kate asked and watched her nod. "Shall we talk?" she said and headed for the stairs since she knew this place well.

Guri listened to everything they had to say and to her credit didn't interrupt with a lot of questions, only nodded her head. She reached into her clothes, pulled out a **G** **em** , and said a command word in a language that even Jenny didn't understand.

What they soon saw was her father standing there though he was shorter than his normal height due to the ceiling height in their living room. "Daughter?" he inquired, curious as to why she summoned him.

"They have found the cause Father. They have found an army of Derro being taught and instructed by a vanguard of Drow. It sounds like Lolth herself is involved in this," Guri told him. They watched him all but blow up spontaneously. **"THAT BITCH!"** his voice thundered. It was filled with pure venom. He walked out of view only to return a moment later looking much calmer.

"You know what to do my daughter. I will assemble our soldiers, magic users, and clerics, and make plans. Tell me exactly what they have found and how they got there," he asked then listened to Rick tell him of their journey, what they saw, and how they got there.

"We will be there. Do not move my daughter and I will be in touch with you to coordinate. Give them what they wish within reason as well as a share in anything we find. Give me two days." He vanished at which point Guri looked at them since they had heard every word.

"Give us a few minutes?" Rick requested then watched her go downstairs. "Comments?" he inquired after she was gone. "Anything we want within reason, whatever his idea of reason is," Kevin said. He loved gold, he was a thief after all. Rogue to his friends.

"Do we even want to go back down there?" Lanie questioned. "We're living on this mountain; are you sure you want _**that**_ living beneath us just itching to erupt out of this mountain killing all of us including everyone in Relfrin?" Kate questioned.

Everyone was silent for a moment. "So what do we ask for in exchange for our help?" Jenny questioned since it sounded like they didn't have a choice to her. "Gold, magic items, or something else?" she added quickly.

"Personally I like the idea of our home being safe. One **Stone Golem** sounds nice, not that I have any idea what it can do. What else is there that will make it safer?" Kate queried.

"Gold benefits each of us individually however, we all live in this house. Staying safe is a good plan," Javi agreed.

Guri came back upstairs and looked at them. "We want our home as safe as we can get it. Are there spells that can keep people out? That kind of thing. In addition to another **Stone Golem** for security perhaps?" Rick asked. "And some of those nearly invisible guys like the one in the basement, spread throughout the house that will clean the place once a week maybe? Top to bottom," Kate spoke up.

Guri was silent as she actually thought they would ask for something else; this was a bit of a shock to her. _"_ _The D_ _eal_ _is struck_ _!"_ she intoned. "I will have the necessary magic user and cleric here tomorrow. I'm thinking a number of spells will be required to achieve what you are asking for," she said. Guri knew it was possible since her father's home had those and others to protect it.


	31. Chapter 31

**K and K 31**

Guri chose to sleep outside on their roof of all places, insisting she'd be fine. Since it was her choice they let her be. Come morning, before Kate could even start work on breakfast, Guri showed up with 3 other Cloud Giants. Kate ran upstairs to get everyone up so they could watch and maybe ask questions.

First was the Cleric since she had less to do. She pulled out one of the four different scrolls that she had on her. "These are _Hallow_ spells. They will provide a benefit for exactly one year. Each benefit is for you. You will gain a bonus against every evil person or creature that enters your home. In addition it will help keep out any undead creatures," they were told and Lanie interrupted the explanation with an exultant "YES!"

"I can also chose a specific spell the effect of which are a number of options. Since I'm going to be doing this four times, one for each of the gods you worship, I can select four different benefits. I've chosen them for you. _Invisibility Purge_ (anyone invisible will suddenly become visible), _Discern Lies_ (Anyone you allow in your house, you will be able to tell if they are lying), _Tongues_ (You can speak but not understand any language you desire), and _Detect Evil_ _,_ she explained. "And I need four different spells to account for each of the Gods that you worship, otherwise you would find it difficult to function in your own house," she clarified. "Remember, this will only last for one year. After that you will need to have them cast again or buy your own scrolls."

"I can _Dimension Door_ _._ Will that still work?" Kate questioned. "Yes, you can do anything inside of your own home or get into it in any way you choose even after we cast the other spells." Then she proceeded to cast from each scroll and stepped aside, her part in this effort complete.

"These will be the _Invisible_ _H_ _elpers_ you asked for to clean the house each week. There are essentially two per floor save for the basement that will only have just the one." And he cast his spells and they could actually see a pair of barely there cloud people start cleaning.

He then stepped back leaving space for the next Cloud Giant. "This is a spell that will last for as long as the building is standing. It is called _Zone of Respite._ In this case it's the _Dimensional Anchor_ that you requested but it will also prevent any summoning like crushing an **Elemental Gem**." And he cast his spell and stepped away.

"The last spell is _Halter's Teleport Cage._ Whenever someone who does not have the code word and tries to teleport into this house they will find themselves bounced to a random location around this building. The likelihood of ending up in the stone of the mountain is a possibility." And he cast his spell then one of them cast something and they were both gone.

"Even they, meaning the Cloud Giants, can't get in now though they can get out," Guri told them. "As to your other request, there is a **Sand Golem** outside in the garden area. It is of medium size and so long as it can pull dirt and sand from the garden for itself, it will repair itself, even regrow limbs."

"Also on the roof is a **Prismatic Golem**. It is made up of non-corporeal tentacles making it hard to hit. If it's touched plus its tentacle attacks will result in 8 random, different effects. The types of damage are _**fire, acid, electricity, cold, sonic**_ _ **,**_ and simple _**force**_. Also _**disintegrate**_ is an option as is _**insanity**_. When active it acts as another sun which makes it difficult for certain undead creatures to attack during night time." Lanie interrupted her and exclaimed, "YES!" as she launched her arms into the air.

"You leave tomorrow; here are your directions. I strongly suggest you not be late or get caught." Guri whipped her cape around her and was gone. Even she couldn't just teleport into their home anymore. Like everyone else she had to walk in.

"They can't get in or at least find it difficult to, we have 3 golems to protect us, we will know when someone lies to us and no one can be invisible to us except ourselves." Rick exulted. He was loving it. "And it will remain clean," Kate added, watching one of them clean the kitchen.

"Let's see what they want us to do," Rick said and opened the scroll to read it. He collapsed into a chair and allowed Kate to read it. "You have _got_ to be shitting me! They want us back up on that tiny balcony three days from tomorrow. It says they want us to handle anyone on that level while they will take care of all the other levels, including the warehouse district," Kate told them, incredulous at the Cloud Giants' orders.

"We need to leave tonight then," Javi insisted. He didn't trust it would only take them three days to get that far again. "I'll go hire Seven's two sons again. I hope both of them can get in now," she commented and went downstairs and around the corner.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis wanted to help Katherine unpack and get moved in then show her the city tomorrow. The problem was her timing was tight; she had to go register for classes the following day because the new semester began soon. Her original plan had been to load up on classes so she could graduate early and maybe move on to the next level. With Katherine here she was thinking of toning it down now.

They were done and sitting next to each other on the bed. "Feeling better?" Katherine asked her gently. "I'm sorry, I really thought I was out of tears, but that birthday present got to me. It'll be my last present ever from my dad, and I..." Katherine simply hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Whatever it is just became the most precious item you'll ever own. My grandmother taught me to be a Druid before she died. She left me her magical armor, scimitar, and backpack. You should see my armor. It's made out of fall colored leaves all sewn together by hand. It's so pretty and then there's my backpack. It looks like any other backpack but it's bigger on the inside than on the outside. You can load so much stuff into it and whatever you want out of it is always on top," Katherine bragged a bit. She was really proud of them.

"You mean like the TARDIS?" Alexis asked, disbelieving. She looked at her a little shocked only to see a blank look on Katherine's face. Alexis chuckled. "I'll show you later," she promised. Alexis leaned across to kiss her cheek. "We can move my clothes later. For now I'm going to go get my sleep shirt and come back down here," Alexis told her and got up.

"Sleep shirt?" Katherine teased since what she wanted and was betting they both wanted was skin on skin all night long. "I'm not parading around naked in case Grams is up before I can make it back upstairs," Alexis informed her tartly then hurried to her room while Katherine stripped, washed her face and brushed her teeth, followed by pulling the covers down just as Alexis tossed her top on a chair and went into the bathroom to wash.

Alexis came back into the room naked. "We need to go shopping tomorrow too. It's going to get cold here soon and you need clothes to keep you warm along with some bath products," Alexis remarked then pulled back the covers a little more and slid into what had become her side of the bed.

Soon they were wrapped up in each other. "Cold like Canada cold?" Katherine asked. She'd had her fair share of cold, it was partly why she liked Fiji so much. "It can be, yeah," Alexis replied as she looked at her and tried to think. "It's not like that place. It will be cold, but you're not trapped here. You can take a taxi and get anywhere you want to go," Alexis assured her and tried to take away her fears. "Taxi?" Katherine questioned softly. Alexis chuckled again. "You pay someone to drive you where you want to go," she explained.

"You don't have a car?" Katherine questioned. If they had one why not use it? "Dad has three actually, well I guess I have three now. It's just that taxis are easier. Parking here can be a pain so everyone uses them instead of driving, usually," Alexis explained. "I'll show you," she promised then pulled her in close and kissed her. Three rounds later and they were both sleeping peacefully, secure in each other's arms.

Come morning Alexis woke to find Katherine gone but could hear the shower running. She smiled knowing her love was at least still here. She found her shirt and jogged upstairs thankful that her grandmother wasn't up yet.

Katherine found Alexis clean and dressed and in the kitchen using what her grandmother had purchased last night. "Hi," Katherine murmured, kissed her cheek and put both arms around her. "Hi. Breakfast or just something else?" Alexis meant toast and fruit.

"You're not tired after last night?" Katherine teased her. Alexis turned her head quickly to look at her and then peeked to see if Martha was on the stairs. "I'd love to do it again but we have a lot to do today. Maybe another three rounds tonight after we move my clothes and stuff?" Alexis countered with her own plan.

"What will your grandmother think?" Katherine questioned her. "Probably that I'm falling in love with you if I haven't already," Alexis said then kissed her quickly. Katherine wasn't so sure since she had seen Alexis look for Martha before answering. She was willing to wait; she could be patient.

"Toast, fruit, and juice would be great," Katherine said brightly then gave her one last, quick kiss and started rooting in the refrigerator. They didn't see Martha by the time they were ready to leave so Alexis tacked a note on the refrigerator to tell her where they were going and when they might be back.

The second they got into the taxi Katherine wrinkled her nose at the smell but she held her tongue. At the first shop they entered, they found four pieces of winter clothing to mix and match. The next shop had Katherine leaving with boots that didn't have high heels along with one heavy and long coat and pair of gloves.

At a lingerie shop she bought three more bras and a set of 6 simple cotton panties. In one of the pricier department stores Alexis sat her down at one of the cosmetic counters and had the cosmetic technician show her what she could do that was simple and easy that didn't require much work. They bought what she used.

They were smiling widely, giggling a little as they worked at carrying all of their bags inside and up the elevator. "What _is_ this thing," Katherine inquired. She moved her head to try and show she meant the elevator since her hands were full of bags. "It's an elevator. Some of these buildings are really tall and no one can actually walk to the upper floors so they use elevators. Some are a lot faster than this one. There are also bigger ones so they can get larger items up to those same high floors," Alexis tried to explain.

"Hi Grams," Alexis called when she saw Martha working her way down the stairs. "Alexis darling. I see you two have been spending money," Martha smiled since she adored shopping. "Kat doesn't have anything warm for when it gets colder here. We're going sightseeing next. You want to come with us?" Alexis asked. She wanted to include her, Grams had to be hurting too.

"You go ahead dear. I have some student names to go over and select my students for the next semester. You both go have fun. I'll find something to eat along the way. Toodles you two!" Martha said cheerily then waved and exited the loft.

"Your grandmother is..." Katherine thought a moment but couldn't think of the right word. "Unique. Dad always teased that he didn't love her or that he would love to have her move out, when secretly, he wanted her to stay. He loved her. Having Grams living here has been great," Alexis remarked. If not for Grams she would still be wallowing around the loft in her sleep shirt utterly broken. She was sure of it.

"We can find lunch while we sight-see!" Alexis told her excitedly then escorted her right back out of the loft into a taxi. What Katherine saw was a whole lot of buildings made of an almost countless number of materials. Almost all of them were taller than any building she had on her world. There was also _a lot_ of people. There had been a lot of people when they went shopping also, so much so that she was uncomfortable. Being alone with Alexis in a taxi was better. Then a car screaming with lights all over it went past them, followed by another one, startling Katherine.

A moment later a really large car or truck went by that was all red. It was making a massive amount of noise and had even more lights all over it. Then the taxi turned and went a different direction while Katherine turned around to watch.

Katherine followed Alexis into a building that was crowded with still more people. They went up an elevator and after a while she found herself way up high. "This is the Empire State Building. For a while it was the tallest building in the city. It still has amazing views," Alexis told her as she walked her all the way around and pointed out other buildings.

Their next stop was the building that replaced the twin towers with a pause at the memorial remembering the people who had lost their lives. "It was a very sad and horrifying day. Terrorists took control of several planes and with people on-board, crashed them into the two buildings, a building in Washington D.C., and into the ground in rural Pennsylvania. The damage was so great that the two buildings collapsed," Alexis said somberly as she broke down what had happened that bright September morning in 2001.

"You have people like that? They kill themselves just so they can kill other people? People they don't even know?" Katherine exclaimed. She was shocked; this world was nuts! "Unfortunately," Alexis said sadly. She wasn't proud of that part of her world.

"You said Orcs killed everyone in your village. Did they know anyone in your village or did they just kill?" Alexis questioned her in an attempt to defend her world. Katherine hung her head. Orcs and other creatures did just kill, though they killed to get gold, food, land, or other things. "I don't claim to have a peaceful world, but we don't kill people like this," Katherine declared and waved at what they were looking at. Still they toured the area before deciding it was time to eat something.

There were so many people that even here that they were forced to wait. "Are there always this many people all trying to do the same thing?" Katherine asked uncomfortably. "It's a very big city. You get used to it," Alexis told her and shrugged.

Even when they got to sit down the other tables were really close and it was quite loud. Katherine could make out the conversations to either side of her. "If you don't want meat, try the vegetarian lasagna. Or you can try the chicken Parmesan. The spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs is also good," Alexis suggested. She had paid attention to what Katherine had ordered in Fiji and it had mostly been simple food. In the end they had stolen bites from each other's plates and at the end were both happy with the food.

"I have to go into school tomorrow to make preparations for the coming semester. You're sure you'll be fine here alone? Grams may come and go or just stay. I don't know what her plans are," Alexis admitted. "I'll be fine, I have my Xanth series of books that I haven't read yet. I know how to cook a little and I know how to load movies to watch," Katherine assured her.

Alexis sat with her and watched a movie till Martha came home and greeted them. She told them she had a busy day tomorrow and was going to go up to her room for the night. "Night Grams," Alexis called.

The next morning after Katherine got out of the shower, dressed in something simple, then padded into the kitchen barefoot; she found Alexis in the kitchen cooking. "What are you making?" Katherine asked as she came up behind Alexis, wrapped her arms around her and kissed the back of her head. Her embrace sent waves of love through Alexis who just soaked it up. "Waffles, bacon and juice. I'm afraid I might not have time for lunch. Want one? There are strawberries and blueberries in the refrigerator and the syrup is on the counter," Alexis pointed out. "I'll try one though I don't promise to eat lunch because of this." Katherine responded. Big breakfasts kind of killed her appetite.

In the end Alexis rushed into the master bedroom and searched for all her paperwork since it was all in a different place now; it wasn't as easy just to lay her hands on her things anymore like her old room. "I gotta go. Call me if you want something. _Do not_ cook dinner! I'll be home in time to cook." Alexis kissed her and raced out the door. "Bye," Katherine barely got out before Alexis was gone.

Katherine had gotten the tour and knew where everything was. She didn't need to do laundry, or do the dishes or even turn on the dishwasher since it wasn't full. "I forgot to ask if there was a pool," she moaned, missing wearing her bikini all day.

"I hope we don't get much snow," she fervently wished. After being in her frigid prison in Canada, she didn't ever want to see snow again. Katherine did decide it was time to do some snooping and see what this home had.

She searched every closet and drawer save for what was in Martha's room not knowing if she was even in there. "Looking for something darling?" Martha's voice suddenly rang out. Katherine jumped and her heart raced. "Martha!" she said in surprise and held her hand over her heart willing it to slow down.

"I was looking for something to do. I don't suppose there's a pool in the building?" she asked Martha with hope only to see her shake her head. "If you join a club somewhere you can use their pool," Martha suggested, shooting down her dream of a pool.

"There are a few board games around here somewhere but most of them need two or more players to play them," Martha told her. "And what is this?" Katherine inquired, holding it up not even remotely understanding what it was. Martha started smiling. "That, my dear, is a state of the art, as Richard put it, laser vest and gun. Richard got Alexis hooked at five years old. She could barely hold the gun and pull the trigger on the gun. She and Richard would play it every chance they got. I never saw the appeal but they enjoyed it."

"I have errands to run but I'll be back for dinner. If there's anywhere you want to go just get Eduardo downstairs to call you a taxi and they'll take you there. Oh, they mostly only work on cash so I hope you have some," Martha informed her. "See you later darling," Martha said as she waved her hand and was out the door.

"Cash?" Did she have cash? She ran back into the bedroom and searched her things. She had brought her Xanth books, the Crystal Skull and gold coins, bikinis, clothes. "CASH!" she exclaimed in relief. Katherine placed it all on the dresser. She had Canadian and US paper money. She wasn't trapped like she had been in Canada. Still it didn't sound like such a good idea to leave and go looking just yet, so she picked up the next Xanth book, went into the living room, and sat down on the sectional.

 _ **Roc and a Hard Place**_ \- _Seeking a solution to a perplexing personal problem, the delectable Demoness Metria asks for help from the wise Magician Humfrey. But before he will help her, she must perform a perilous mission: Rove the length and breadth of Xanth in search of a suitable jury for the trial of Roxanne Roc - a notably noble and virtual bird charged with a most improbable offense._

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis was home and tired. She had been running all around campus trying to talk to everyone she thought she needed to, made choices instantly, and hoped for the best. She found Katherine in the living room with a glass of wine not far away, her head buried in a book. "Hi Kat. How was your day? I know I'm late and I'm so sorry. I'll start dinner right after I clean up first," Alexis said then hustled past her into the bedroom where she dropped everything, started stripping, and jumped quickly into the shower.

After drying off just as quickly she went looking for something comfortable and yet sexy to wear, leaving her bra off. Back in the living room Katherine hadn't moved an inch. "What would you like for dinner? I think I can make... Kat?" She still hadn't moved.

Alexis stepped in front of her and loudly said, "Kat!" getting no reaction except to see her turn a page. "Earth to Kat!?" Alexis tried waving a hand in front of Katherine and still got nothing. "KAT!" Alexis yelled but she just sat there and read her book. "KAT! The house is on fire!" she screamed and still got nothing.

Giving up, Alexis grumbled, "Fine I'll choose," and headed for the kitchen. Dinner was almost done when Martha came home. "Hi Grams," she greeted her. Finally someone to talk to! "And how was your day darling?" Martha asked, stopping in the kitchen before going upstairs.

"Busy, I wanted to talk to each of my instructors before I chose their course. I'm actually glad I did, it helped me decide what classes to take this semester. I still don't know when my classes are during the day though. Hopefully I won't get a 7:30 class," Alexis commented.

"Is Katherine home?" Martha hadn't seen her or heard her yet. Alexis simply pointed, directing Martha's gaze to the living room. "She's been like that since I got home. I even stood over her and yelled at her. She didn't move a muscle," Alexis explained.

"Must be a good book, your father used to do that when he was little. I'll have to look at it when she's done," Martha commented. "Dinner is in 10 minutes Grams. I'll try again to reach Kat so she can join us." Alexis wasn't mad, she was just amazed at Kat's single-mindedness. "Just don't hit her with a glass of water dear," Martha warned her and laughed a little before going upstairs.

"It might be the only thing that will work," Alexis said to herself.


	32. Chapter 32

**K and K 32**

Ooops! I'm late posting the next chapter. My apologies, life just kinda got in the way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Katherine had read 3 books in the last two days. She accomplished this by practically never stopping. She was hooked on the Xanth series and she knew it. She wondered if it was because she loved to read or was it the subject? Still she had decided to take a break. She knew Martha was gone and wasn't coming back until really early in the morning.

So there she was sitting on the sectional in a dress shirt she'd stolen when she had helped box up all of Rick's clothes. She didn't have anything that reached that far down and yet hid so little. Just one little button was in place.

Katherine was nervous though she wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was because this might be a big test in their relationship. Her head snapped to the sound of the front door opening and watched Alexis walk in with her bag that held all her stuff. "Hi Lex." Katherine did her best to purr out her name.

Katherine did her best to hide her smile as she got the reaction out of Alexis she had been hoping for. Alexis dropped her bag. "Kat?" She had never seen her looking like this.

"All tired out from school? Perhaps a nice massage will help." Katherine reached to pick up a bottle of oil she had found in her snooping, exposing a breast that she just knew Alexis had seen. "I could always just rub the right areas to get the lubrication we'll need." Katherine bit her tongue and then licked her lips.

Alexis sat down next to her. "I, uh...done with your books?" Alexis asked stumbling and watched her nod. "Where's Grams?" she inquired looking around. "Your grandmother is out on a date and she said not to expect her until late tomorrow morning." Katherine ran a hand down Alexis's arm.

"I'm hungry alright, just not for that kind of food." Kate said flirtatiously then pulled Alexis over for a kiss that she deepened when Alexis responded.

Two hours later they were lying on the sectional while Alexis doodled on one of Katherine's breasts to see if she could get her nipple hard again. "Not that I'm complaining but what brought this on?" Alexis asked while kissing Katherine's breast her head was almost resting on.

"You've been tired when you come home from school; I've been reading and ignoring you and I suddenly realized that we haven't made love to each other in a few days. And that was just several days too long," Katherine said quietly.

"I'm sorry, the start of a new school year is always..." Alexis stopped talking when Katherine placed a finger on her mouth. "Lex, it's not a contest between me or your school work. It just suddenly hit me that I missed you, so I thought a surprise was in order."

"You can surprise me anytime you want." Alexis raised up to actually kiss her. "Have you gotten out into the city any?" It was one of Alexis's worries and she saw Katherine shake her head. "I know it's not Fiji but can't you give it a chance?" Alexis loved this city, but then she grew up in it.

"I'm sorry Lex. I don't know what it is. Too big maybe? Too loud perhaps? I heard sirens going past three times today and when I do go outside there are cars and people literally everywhere. You can't go anywhere and not unintentionally run into or brush up against someone. And this place smells." She wasn't sure what was behind the smell, though the trash in the street had something to do with it. Not that it was a lot of trash, it was just that this city was dirty.

"I don't have a class the day after tomorrow. I can show you places that are less crowded," Alexis offered. "I know it's not fair. I hated the house in Canada because I was trapped there. Now I'm not trapped and yet I almost feel like I am. Trapped by a mass of wall-to-wall people. But this is your home so I'll adapt." Katherine would at least try. "That's not fair Kat; how am I supposed to be happy if you're not?" Alexis rested on Katherine and held her close trying to think of possible alternatives for them.

Eventually they got up and partially dressed. Alexis cooked dinner followed by them beginning to watch a movie except wandering hands interrupted their movie and were followed by two more rounds of making love to each other.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine swept her arm across the bed and didn't find Alexis causing her to groan just a little. Long into the night they made love to each other then had a little pillow talk sharing things in their lives just learning more about each other and how they thought.

Katherine was beginning to worry about Alexis. Classes most of the day only to come home and cook, spending time with her and continuing to ask her if she had gone out into the city yet. Of course she hadn't and she cringed each time and felt guilty.

Katherine swung out of bed and got into the shower. She was fully awake by the time she was back out and dressed casually, just enough not to shock Martha should she be home and up.

She found Alexis in her father's office with his laptop in her lap of all places. "What are you doing?" Katherine bent down to kiss her head and waited before heading into the kitchen. "Research," Alexis replied abstractedly then turned her head back from Katherine's kiss to her computer.

"O-kay..." She continued on into the kitchen, made toast, and found some fruit along with some juice. It was that or cereal but she had plans for lunch since Alexis didn't have classes today.

She was long since done and was wondering about Alexis. So she went looking for her and found her right where she had left her. "What are you doing?" All Katherine could see was her making notes with her head glued to the screen. "I was thinking we could go out for lunch," Katherine offered since she was willing to go out into the city. People, cars, trash, the smell, and all.

"That's nice," Alexis barely whispered not paying any attention to her. Katherine chose to leave her to her research and went in search of her next Xanth book.

 _ **Xone of Contention**_ \- _A cataclysmic cloud hangs over the enchanted land of Xanth. Three courageous couples must venture into the O-Xone, a cybernetic interface between Xanth and Mundanea, to rescue the enchanted realm from destruction._

"Kat?" Alexis was done and had reached a conclusion, she just needed a few questions answered. "Kat?" Alexis did it in front of her face this time. **"KAT!"** Alexis yelled her name and kicked her foot causing her to jerk then look up at Alexis. "I zoned out again didn't I?" Katherine scrunched up her face in an apology.

"Lunch?" Katherine asked thinking that was what was on her mind. Alexis shook her head, took her hand, and lead her into her father's office. "I've been doing some research. You don't like New York and though I do, if you're not happy, I'm not happy," Alexis stated.

"Alexis," Katherine moaned her name only to see her hold up her hand to silence her. "I found a university that has all the classes I would want in Fiji," Alexis informed her then twisted the laptop around for her to see. "This is your house here on the west side while the University is over here on the southeast side. This single road that connects the two might translate into an hour or more between the two depending on traffic. The good thing about this idea is that it will only cost us a car since we'll need two because I'll need one to get to school and not leave you trapped at home." Alexis showed her one of the options she had come up with.

"Alexis, you don't have to do this. Just give me time and..." Alexis held up her hand signaling for quiet. "The only down side of this idea is the University of Fiji is ranked something like 2700 in universities."

"However, I have another idea which is a little more out of the box. I found an island that's for sale; it's 7.6 acres in size, already has a building, and is presently used as a business, though it went out of business a year ago. We would, of course, change this into a family home."

"The facilities were updated within the last 10 years. It has drinking water, new heating, a pair of large generators that produce electricity and pump greywater into a storage tank. It used to be used during WWII and still has a number of sunken antiaircraft weapon depressions." Alexis showed her the pictures.

There was a rock barrier all the way around with a single opening into the sheltered bay. "The best part is that it's only 3 nautical miles from Copenhagen, Denmark." Alexis was smiling since she actually like this one better.

"And what makes this one so special?" Katherine questioned seeing her smile. "The University of Copenhagen is ranked 22nd University in all of Europe. ...Oh this is Europe." Alexis changed screens and swept her hand over the area. "This is the US and New York is here. It may look smaller, but Europe has a more dense population. The island takes you away from New York, the people and the smell, and gives me access to a large university and a big city." Alexis was still smiling.

"And just how are you suppose to get to this school? Can we move the boat?" Katherine inquired thinking about the boat on Fiji. "That's where the bad part comes in. To move your boat we would need to fly it out here; we'd be better off just buying a new boat or two. The island is called Flak Fort. ...It used to be a fort and had flak guns," Alexis explained then saw her blank look. "Never mind. It's not important."

"Then there are the other two bad points or good points. It's presently for sale at $8.5 million US dollars. A boat or two would be thousands more plus we would need to tear down what's there and build a home and not a business. I'm guessing at least 2 years for demolition and construction, but we could have just the house we want. Though the construction would likely cost a few million more." This was the part she was sure Katherine wouldn't go for.

"So what has you smiling about this place instead of Fiji or just staying here?" Katherine questioned her as she waved her arms. "I want you happy which will make me happy, and honestly, between the two, I love the second one because of the University. That and we would be living in Denmark. We could get boats to get around on. A commuter boat for both us maybe and a large luxury boat to go places with. Maybe even some jet skis." The jet skis had Katherine's interest since they had rented them on Fiji a couple of times.

"That and Copenhagen has a large airport for your plane. Hopefully Simon would like to live there," Alexis mentioned. "SIMON! I forgot about him. According to Kate he has a girlfriend here in New York," Katherine recalled.

"So you would need more than 24 hours to alert him that you want to fly. Shouldn't be a problem unless we want to go somewhere really quickly. In that case we'd just boat over to Copenhagen and fly commercial. We would also need to buy dock space over there. Maybe two, one for each of us?" Alexis reckoned.

"And this is going to cost what?" Katherine asked wondering if that would put an end to this. Alexis started squirming since this was the major flaw of her plan. "$8.5 million for the island alone. Probably another $2 million or more for the construction. The commuter boat would be somewhere between a few thousand to tens of thousands, depending on what we buy. The luxury cruiser of a boat could easily be another million or more. Maybe $12 million or more total. More depending on what the home would look like and what we add. Maybe solar power panels to take some stress off of the generators. Windmills to take off even more stress. We would need to understand what the drinking water situation is like. Go boat shopping, find an architect, fly out monthly during construction," Alexis listed everything she could think of.

"And just how are we going to accomplish all this while you are in college? Do you not like your school?" Katherine demanded. "Please Kat, if you're not happy how am I supposed to be happy?" Alexis asked earnestly while taking her hands in hers. "What about Martha?" Katherine still had a few cards to play. "Grams can have the loft to live in and the house in the Hamptons. We need to find out more about your other 2 houses and what's there. Maybe sell one or more, but we're keeping the Fiji house," Alexis said firmly and pointed at her.

"Can you afford this?" Katherine questioned. Alexis started fidgeting knowing that was another sticking point that could kill her plan. "No. Dad was rich, but he wasn't that rich." Alexis knew money was a problem. "Please, just think about it. I know you don't like it here." Alexis also knew Katherine had the necessary money and likely then some.

"Two years of construction means I'll be staying here anyway, so why do it at all?" Katherine queried. Alexis played her trump card and stepped in to hold Katherine tight. "Please, this is my world and if it's going to be yours, you deserve what you want, to enjoy it, not just put up with it because you think you don't have a choice...Please!" It was her last play.

Katherine relaxed into Alexis and caved a little. "Fine. Finish your research, find an architect willing to take on the project, find your boat, then we'll talk. Just make sure this is a university that you want to attend."

Alexis started smiling again. "We can fly out when I have enough time off from school to tour the city and the University. Perhaps even take a boat out to look at the place, and then buy it," Alexis suggested. "Maybe we can find classes for you to attend. You don't really want to sit around reading, eating, and doing nothing all day do you?" It was Alexis's very last card she could think of.

Katherine slumped a little more. Alexis smiled thinking that she was winning. "Here sit down and take a look at what the University of Copenhagen has to offer. You said you were a Druid in your world. You haven't explained what that means much, but I'm guessing it has to do with animals. Maybe marine biology, veterinarian perhaps. Vets help animals and with your skill with animals and spells, you could end up being the best there is. Zoos might have you flying all over to help them with their animals."

Alexis pushed Katherine down into the chair. "I'm going to go fix lunch and look at my schedule. Then we can call Simon and tell him we're flying to Copenhagen and when." Alexis skipped out of her dad's office and into the kitchen before Katherine could stop her.

Alexis was humming while she made lunch. It was so simple, at least in her mind. Plus her plans always worked, except for her plan to share an apartment with Pi. "At least I didn't end up pregnant." Alexis counted her blessings.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis had worked out that her first big break from classes wasn't until December with the biggest one taking place over Christmas which was months away. Still she had found time to go into the city in search of an architect that would be willing to take on their project. She knew that she'd have to give the architect something to go on so she had Katherine sitting in front of the laptop again.

Google - Unique island homes. "No, no." Alexis was scrolling down the various images that Google had brought up. "Stop! What's that!?" Katherine kind of liked it. It was really unique and green.

"I don't know, it just says it's in the State of Washington. And we don't have a mountain on the island, it's almost completely flat," Alexis pointed out and watched Katherine sag. "I'll bet we could build one though. Disney built Expedition Everest and the Tree of Life. They're both hollow using steel on the inside with fake looking stone on the outside." And she saw Katherine's blank face. "You know... Walt Disney World? I really need to get you out of this house. Maybe you'll see something there that will give you some inspiration." Alexis was still hopeful about her plan.

"I could make it look like that with a little work," Katherine offered. "I am a Druid you know and I really need to start acting like one soon if I want to gain more powers." Katherine really did miss her old life...her life as a Druid.

"Veterinarian classes. It's not too late locally. You've only missed maybe a week or two." Alexis brightened up and took the laptop away from Katherine. "I need your Social Security Number, drivers license number. I don't suppose you know what school Kate went to? We could transfer some of her classes perhaps." Alexis was dubious since it had likely been too long.

Alexis sent Katherine scrambling for the information she would need. "After you register there's an orientation day before you start classes in veterinarian school. You can come to school with me. Maybe we can eat lunch together between classes. Oh, you'll need to pay for the classes too, so bring that black American Express card with you tomorrow." Alexis was excited. She had found something for Katherine to do and it was with her at least a little, and she hadn't shut down her plan.

Alexis walked into the architect's office for the second time in a week; she had to be quick since she had a class in two hours.

"I've made some inquiries and yes, the island is for sale at $8.5 million. I can even be your purchasing agent if you like," Alexis was told. "Yes, please."

"I received your picture and your idea of how to build it. I must say your idea is unique and presents a few challenges, but nothing we can't handle. I'm assuming you will be wanting windows which will break up the solid mountain look," the architect inquired.

"I've thought about that and found a company that can make screens for the windows that can mimic any look." Alexis handed over her research. "I'll call them and see what we can do." The architect had never seen this before but if they could do it, it just might work.

"You're going to need an elevator, one large enough to accommodate a bed and furniture. I sincerely doubt you want to walk up and down that many stairs," she said. "Yes, please. Oh, we also need lots and lots of little balconies to grow the plants on and hang over the side to help enhance the effect," Alexis stated firmly. Katherine had really wanted that.

She was making notes as she spoke. "I've also learned that the mound is partially hollow. Your idea of solar power panels isn't going to work out too well with your mountain idea, however you have a lot of flat area to work with so adding them won't be a problem. The existing cistern is large enough for a restaurant so it should be large enough for you. We just need to research if the existing pump(s) can get your water up to the top floor."

"Your idea of windmills will also work and we can use the underground to store the battery back-up. Also taking your home vertical will create space for the pool you want," she added. "Is there anything else?"

"We'll handle the boats and the jet skies but we need a way to launch the smaller boats and the jet skis," Alexis told her. "We can handle that. I think I have what you want inside and now outside. Is there anything else outside you would like?"

"Garden space even if it has to be tiered," Alexis said trying to think what Katherine would like.

"A tiered garden would likely be best since we'll need enough dirt for plants to grow. I might even be able to give you some trees. Not many I'm thinking but at least a few. Fruit trees even if you like." Alexis nodded, agreeing with her.

"Can we convert a barge, have it permanently moored, and use it as a garden space?" Alexis asked since the land was only 7.6 acres and they had lots of water behind the barrier. "I'll see what I can arrange."

"Time?" Alexis was wondering when she would have something to show Katherine. "I'll have preliminary plans in three months. You can make any changes you like at that time. I'll also have an estimate on construction time and costs," she told Alexis.

"Cost isn't really an issue. Just make sure it's state of the art and has an automatic watering system for all of the balconies. Oh, there will likely be lots of plants on the inside also but we'll take care of those," Alexis told her.

"This is going to be a very unique island once it's done. I look forward to showing you what you have asked for." She shook Alexis's hand and watched her leave. Alexis suddenly returned just as she picked up the phone. "We also need an outbuilding that can double as veterinarian clinic along with a small outdoor enclosure for animals." Alexis had always wanted a dog, but they lived in downtown Manhattan so she had never asked her dad for one.


	33. Chapter 33

**K and K 33**

Katherine entered the loft after getting out of her taxi. She dragged herself past the doorman who greeted her as usual, shuffled into the elevator, and to the loft's door. Then managed to get her key into the lock and opened the door. Giving it a halfhearted shove to close it, she leaned up against it and tried to just breathe.

Suddenly Alexis was hugging her tightly. Katherine wasn't really tired thanks to the condition of Kate's body; she'd at least tried a little to keep it in shape. She just didn't have Kate's dedication to do so. But then she wasn't a thief/assassin either.

"Hi Kat, how was school?" Alexis was excited since today was going to be big for them. "I never knew helping animals included so much information," she moaned. Countless diseases, countless hereditary problems for each animal. All of the drugs, x-rays, and even just how they felt in your hands. Katherine was in good physical shape, she just wasn't prepared for all of the mental work. Plus by the time she began her classes she was already 2 weeks behind. Alexis, however, had been terrific. In addition to her own classes she was helping Katherine with hers. "Another hard class I take it?" Alexis commiserated. She backed off a little but didn't let go of her. "I'm a Druid and never thought I would need to know so much."

"Come, sit down and let me feed you then we have somewhere to go." Alexis took her bag, dropped it on the sectional, and guided Katherine to the dining room table. "How's New York treating you?" Alexis asked as she went into the kitchen to get dinner. "It's an endless number of taxis. Taxi to school, taxi to get home. Except for the occasional day where we can meet for lunch, it's full of classes and homework. Speaking of which, I have homework so I don't have time to go anywhere," Katherine groused. Besides she wanted to finish her homework and make love to Alexis before crashing to get some sleep.

"I'll help you after we get back; now eat so we can leave or we'll be late." Alexis placed a plate of food in front of her and went to get her own.

Katherine had barely finished before Alexis whisked her plate away, scraped scraps into the trash, rinsed everything and put it in the dishwasher, then turned it on. "Hurry up! Grab your bag, your credit card, and let's go!" Alexis almost dragged her out of the loft, into the elevator, and into a taxi.

"An architect?" Katherine saw the sign and if it wasn't for her being so mentally tired, she would have recognized her first clue. "We have an appointment. I'm Alexis Castle," she told the receptionist. They only waited a moment before Lidia showed up and greeted them. "Please follow me." She escorted them into a conference room which had more people, snacks, and drawings.

"I kind of thought you were kidding," Katherine whispered since she was still in _'I'll adjust'_ mode. "Just listen please, then we can decide." Alexis knew there was a lot to learn about. Some of which was the weather.

"Let's get started. To start off with I had an associate go to the island and do a survey of what was there to determine what we could keep and what would need to go. The restaurant will, of course, need to go as will all of the small bedrooms and bathrooms as well as the banquet hall. All of that's easy and we're thinking we can even reuse some of the kitchen equipment to cut costs. This is your island as it exists now." Lidia pushed a large drawing across to them. "And this is what we're going to turn it into." She laid another drawing over the first one.

"As you can see, your artificial mountain will be on this end. Your solar power panels will take up this middle space just past your indoor pool. We chose an indoor pool because of Copenhagen's winter weather. If it was outdoors you would only be able to use it for about 3 months out of the year: June, July, and August."

"This next area is the built-up tiered garden with even tiers on both sides with a crown in the middle. There will be doors on either end that will allow access to small storage areas for your tools."

"We've chosen to place the windmills where the antiaircraft guns used to be. The existent concrete is thick enough and reinforced sufficiently to support them and will reduce costs to install them."

"You asked for a veterinarian's office and we've chosen to use a houseboat that will be semi-permanently moored to the dock area. This is what it will look like inside." She showed them another large drawing. "As you can see it's been redesigned. The bedrooms have been converted into exam rooms. The living room is now a waiting room and the kitchen has been converted into an office. The bathroom remains as is as do all of the holding tanks. You will need to arrange to have the waste tank pumped out from time to time. And you will also need to fill the water tank."

Katherine was still staring at all of it, however at the mention of a veterinarian's office she looked at Alexis with new found love for her. The mention of a winter in Copenhagen was presently forgotten, but would be talked about later.

"Now for your mountain. The first three floors are the largest and will have a pair of large curved balconies on either side. After that there will be another 8 floors before reaching the roof which will have its own small balcony on either side. There are small balconies on every other floor in various areas based on the floor. The other balconies will be Juliet balconies. You can open the french doors that will have that screen you found." Lidia showed them a pair of renderings, one from a distance and one closer up.

"You will be able to open the doors and place planters on each and every balcony. Questions so far?" she asked them.

"It will look like a mountain?" Alexis inquired since to her that was crucial. "We will be using the very same technique that they used at Walt Disney World. We've even considered having animals molded into the mountain just like they did for the Tree of Life," she informed them. "What kind?" Katherine asked her first question, beginning to show interest. "Any that you choose. Since it's a mountain I would suggest animals and birds that live in mountains. Goats, mountain lions, and various varieties of birds like eagles," she offered.

"We'll be putting levels with rooms inside the hollow area of the mountain. Are you ready to see the rooms inside the mountain?" Lidia asked. "Could we go back outside and talk about boats first? We're going to need boats in able to commute to Copenhagen. We'll need to go shopping for groceries, clothes or just plain shopping. Go to a movie, eat out, that kind of thing," Alexis said.

"Of course." The architect scrambled for the proper drawings with a little help from the others. "At the moment the space has a large number of mooring locations to tie a boat to. The opening is large enough to accommodate a boat up to 100 feet in length. If you're thinking of purchasing a Mega Yacht you'll need to get permission and will have to anchor it outside of this space then transfer to and from it," she cautioned them.

Alexis shook her head. "Too big, too much trouble, and too expensive." Alexis was thinking big, just not too big. It would still fit inside she was hoping. They needed to go see the island before making a decision as to the size of boats required.

"We have modified the concrete dock area to allow for smaller boats to be lifted up out of the water and stored under cover. There will be a pair of small cranes to swing the jet skis out onto the water from their own small building here." She pointed out both areas. "Since there are two of you we have allowed for two such boat lifts. We just need to know what size of lift you will need," she added. "We have also added a tank to hold fuel for your boats in case you forget to fill up before leaving Copenhagen."

"May we discuss the mountain now?" she inquired. "We'll go inside the indoor pool as we go," she added and saw two nodding heads. Alexis was smiling since Katherine hadn't yet shut the entire thing down yet.

"We've allowed for a garage area to house a pair of electric golf carts and, of course, a charging station. These will get you to the far end of the island quicker and allow you to carry parts, tools, or whatever you deem necessary with you should you need to."

"The living room is on the ground floor. Thanks to the steel we'll use to create the mountain there are a number of off rooms around it, two of which are half bathrooms. Others are closets and bookcases along with a wood burning fire place. One of those closets is used to store the wood. It has the capacity for 2 cords of wood if filled completely and carefully."

"The second floor is the kitchen and small dining area." She kept pushing across floor plans until she reached the kitchen where she pulled out and showed them a color rendering which made their eyes light up. "You asked for state of the art. Part of that is this kitchen. As you can see there are double ovens, a propane gas range with grill, two large refrigerator/freezers, a dishwasher along with a number of countertop appliances, such as a pasta maker and mixer. All of the major appliances are stainless steel." She and the others were watching their faces. Lidia inquired, "Do you like the colors?" since it had been a bold choice.

"The ceiling is 18 feet tall and we took the cabinets all the way to the ceiling. To reach those cabinets we knew you would need a ladder, so we added a library ladder. There are wheels on the bottom and a roller between the upper upper and lower upper cabinets. We made it of metal and glass to match the cabinet and the floors." She explained.

The floor was covered in 24 x 24 inch square black tiles. The ceiling was white while the kitchen was green and black, and not just any green either. The cabinet and drawer fronts were a thick, shiny, pastel green glass. The upper cabinets were lit making them glow. The countertop was made of recycled glass that was mostly black with little specks of green glass matching the cabinets in it. It reminded Alexis of the Wizard of Oz and even Katherine saw it after Alexis whispered it to her. Even the range hood and boxed-out duct were stainless steel at the bottom with still more green glass up to the ceiling. There was an entire bank of cabinets that acted as the pantry which were black, however the fronts were pastel green glass. All of the cabinet doors and drawers had soft close hardware to protect the glass fronts. There were two islands, one of which was just a work surface and breakfast bar, while the other had a prep sink in it. Even the small seating area like the breakfast bar had the same modern look and was a play off of the same colors. "If you don't like the green and black we can do the same with any other two color combination. Black and pastel blue perhaps," she suggested. She just couldn't get a handle on their reactions.

"What's this wall?" Alexis pointed. "That's a TV screen made up of multiple individual screens that take up the entire wall all the way to 10 feet of the 18 feet of ceiling. Have you seen those giant screens in the movies or on the ESPN set? The principle is the same. In this case it isn't used to show what's on TV but to use it to select and show a wall paper. You can make the kitchen feel like you are in Hawaii, Switzerland, on a snow-topped mountain. The options are endless," she explained. "You talked about wanting state of the art and to us that meant modern. Which eliminated country, retro, traditional or others," she explained.

"What are these panels on the countertop? Monitors?" Alexis questioned. "Correct, they are each connected to the main computer on another floor that we will talk about when we reach that floor," she said. "You can use them to bring up any recipe that you have in the system or search the internet for others. The monitors will actually spin in place and follow you where ever you go in the kitchen. They're also touch screens."

"On this end is the elevator that goes down and all the way to the top along with the staircase that is next to it. The elevator is not the size of a service elevator but it is also not a small personal elevator." She finished with the second floor.

"The third floor is almost all dining room allowing for a table large enough to seat twelve people. There's a dumb waiter that's in this warming kitchen which goes down to the main kitchen. This warming kitchen is essentially a standard apartment kitchen. This one has a completely different color scheme." She slid across the floor plan and the color rendering. All of the cabinets in this case were a light gray in color so as not to overpower the dining room itself. The dining room the floors were made of sustainable bamboo. There were two massive walls of glass doors that would have the same screen placed on them to hide them from the outside that lead outside to the two large curved decks.

There were a number of plants, including trees. "I promised you trees and fruit trees at that. These fruit trees in pots are local to the area. Apples, plums, pears, and cherries. One of the decks has a large hot tub that you can use even during winter if you are brave enough." She was actually thinking stupid, but these were clients and one of her staff had fought for it to be included.

"We've also included a computer controlled telescope for star gazing or zooming in on Copenhagen just 3 miles away, and we still need to talk about the computer and its capabilities when we reach that floor," Lidia informed them.

"Each of the above floors are half the square footage of the first three floors, though each room has either a small balcony or a Juliet balcony. The fourth floor is the theater room with a generous half bath." She showed them another floor plan and three color renderings this time. "In this case we have a small walk-out balcony for your plants. Also in the back is the expected elevator and staircase."

"We've given you three different options for this room. You asked for everything to be state of the art as are even the kitchen appliances, so we've given you three different rooms. If you don't like any of them we can design something more traditional," she offered as they looked over the three renderings.

One was clearly pirate themed with a picture of Captain Jack Sparrow on the screen. The floor looked like the deck of a sailing ship. There were even sails that had been collected up and tied into place on the ceiling along with the beams.. The walls had framed glass windows with an arch that would be found in a captain's cabin. There were even ropes coming down from the ceiling to the floor. The elevator/stairs opened onto a deck with seating below it in 3 rows of 4 large leather seats. The deck even had fake powder keg barrels on it.

The next was Batman themed. The roof looked like a cave that had stalactites hanging from it that some of which ended in metal and glass globes light fixtures. One wall even had a large bookcase filled with books. There was even an alcove that had a complete freestanding Batman suit. The opposite wall had a massive image of the Batmobile. Like the previous theater it had three rows of four seats.

The last one was almost literally the bridge of the Enterprise from the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series. There were five futuristic-looking leather seats where the captain's chair was located. It even had that wood curved railing with a higher level behind them filled with monitors. Three steps down in front of them with a little floor space in front of the seats were four more seats, just without the control panels where Data would sit. Even the ceiling and walls looked like the bridge except everything was gray and black. The lighting was in the ceiling, curved panels where the ceiling met the wall and vertical panels on the wall. Like the other two options the viewing screen was enormous.

Alexis put the three renderings side by side so they could look at them. While Alexis liked it she turned over the pirate theme and pushed it away then slid the last two side by side. "God this is hard! You can really do these rooms, even the Batman suit? And are those real books or just wallpaper?" Alexis inquired.

"The plan was for it to be just wallpaper since we're giving you a library reading room on the next floor and to help reduce costs, though they could be just as real as the suit and the books on the next level." Alexis had her answer. Alexis looked at Katherine, who thanks to her own viewing and that of Alexis, had seen each of the three movies, only to see Katherine shrug her shoulders.

"Can we think about it and get back to you?" Alexis's problem was that she loved both of them. Her personal favorite was the Star Trek version, however she just knew her dad would love the Batman theme and it tugged at her heart strings. "Of course." Actually Lidia was dejected since they had a pool going in the office as to which one they would select and it was already over $200. Still she thought maybe this would allow for the pot to grow. A couple of people were already out since they had gone pirate.

"Here's the 5th floor which is the library and reading area that we already touched on." And she handed out another floor plan along with still another color rendering. "This floor is also home to the HVAC and plumbing equipment like water heaters, filters, and pump room since we found the existing pumps are only capable of pumping the water up to this floor and we still have ensuite bathrooms to go yet," she told them.

The room itself looked circular much like the mountain itself at this level. The ceiling was again 18 feet tall like all of the other rooms so far. This one was full of bookshelves all the way to the ceiling and had a spiral staircase to reach the mezzanine level that was only at most 3 feet wide. It had a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling along with wall lights directing a small amount of light both up and down. There were actually two small seating areas that would allow for a small table to put a drink or some food on while reading.

"The 6th floor is the game room." She laid out a floor plan and three color renderings. "We've offered you three different options for this room as well. This time we have gone Star Wars, something more traditional, as well as something very tropical. I know you mentioned you would be having plants inside where you could, however in this room we took that to the next level," she explained.

The Star Wars theme had two side alcoves that could be used to play either board games or card games. Between the two was a replica of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. There were two seats with control panels in front of them and the glass view screen was even blue with streaking rays of light showing that they were in hyperspace. Behind those two chairs was a Star Wars themed pool table, ping pong table that wasn't green as well as an air hockey table. Everything was gray in color with touches of white. "The computer screens in this theme are actually functional and are connected to the main computer," she added.

The traditional really did look traditional. Carpet on the floor, space for a standard pool table, a card table, ping pong and air hockey tables. Even standard looking lights. Alexis turned it over and pushed it away.

The tropical themed room had a small waterfall that fell into a small pool. There were plants almost everywhere. She had used the plants to provide each game its own room even though there were no real walls. Alexis watched Katherine smile and knew she would have a battle on her hands to get the Star Wars themed room. "We'll talk and get back to you," Alexis said.

"The 7th floor is the exercise room with two small side rooms. One for weights and one for Karate or Judo or whatever." She pushed across the floor plan as well as the usual color rendering. "WOW!" Alexis was expecting a "seen one weight room you've seen at a gym and you've seen them all" room, but was quite surprised.

This room was circular with a massive open beamed ceiling with a wood ceiling, tile floors except there were mats where the equipment would sit. There was enough room for a stationary bicycle, stair stepper, treadmill, rowing machine, and Bow Flex-like machine. The walls were all glass and this floor actually had three small balconies. This had her going back a few floors searching for the balconies. Turned out the other floors had those Juliet balconies.

"All of that glass will have that screen you found that will mimic a mountain side from a distance. One of the drawbacks is that this screen will also block some of the light. This is why we have added as many windows or balconies as we could," she explained.

Katherine looked at the side rooms. _'If I'm going to keep Kate's body in this good a shape I'm going to need to use this floor a lot.'_ Katherine wasn't really looking forward to that, still the work had its benefits. Maybe she could convince Alexis to do it with her.

"The 8th floor has two bedrooms along with a Jack and Jill bathroom. The stairs and elevator open onto a small foyer allowing access to either room." She showed them just a floor plan this time. "We kept the bedrooms and bathroom rather traditional looking. Nothing special," she said explaining the missing color rendering.

"Bedrooms, can you make each floor of bedrooms themed in some way? Switzerland, Hawaii, Deep South, African maybe?" Alexis asked. "We can do that. There are only 3 floors with bedrooms and one of those is your master suite so there will be only 2 themes, but we can select two and design them," she assured both of them.

"The 9th floor is the same as the 8th." She didn't lay out a floor plan or color rendering this time. "We can do the same to this floor as the last one; we'll decide what to do for each floor and send you something."

"This is the 10th floor, home to your computer system," she told them laying out a floor plan and a color rendering. "As you will see this room is circular again and is 10 feet tall. The computer itself is circular with a single gap to allow access to both sides. The computer is on a raised floor to hide all the wires that lead to various areas of the mountain. You can walk on it and this room has its own cooling system and is connected to an emergency generator that is fueled with diesel and will last for 24 hours should power to your main generators, solar power panels, windmills, or battery back up fail. Which is hard to imagine happening, still we have accounted for it."

"It will only ever go out of date should the industry stop placing upgrades into slide in and out panels. We're calling her Sarah and she has power just short of a Cray supercomputer. She's a lot less expensive though still not cheap. We have connected her to everything. She can read each touch screen and check finger prints against those in her system. Provide you with anything you want to see on each screen located in every room save the spare bedrooms. You can even use her as a third person in any game except for anything that requires physical movement. You can even play poker or other card games with her. You just need to place her cards face down on a reader screen."

"She has control of everything in the mountain itself. She can monitor the amount of power being provided and alert you to any problems. Along with water and waste water. She also has control over the security system of the mountain and will sound an alert and place a call to the Copenhagen police in case of trouble. There are no internal monitors so she can't see what's going on inside. If you want to call for an emergency medical team or the police you would need to access one of the many panels. She will adjust the temperature inside the mountain based on when you're home and she will learn how you like the temperature."

"She will also control the HVAC system and learn what temperature you like in each room as well as reduce the temperature on those floors that are not occupied." She adds.

"Make me a latte, turn on the washer, dishwasher, stereo system, TV. Read me my email messages," Alexis moaned since it sounded like their lives were being taken over by a computer.

"None of those actually. Sarah is a massive storage area and monitors the health of the mountain, including the safety of the water, alert you to the need to change the HVAC filter, alert you to any error codes for the high efficiency tank type water heaters that are all electric as is the HVAC system. She's only meant for data storage and provide alerts. Though what she is connected to and her ability to adapt and learn is what creates her size and need for space. Your music and movies are all stored in her memory, though she is capable of playing cards or perhaps a board game should you wish and we add a video camera so she can see the board as well as the game area. But that's all." She countered Alexis's fears. "You can either use one of the many panels to control her or simply tell her what it is you want using voice command."

"The 11th floor is your master bedroom and ensuite bathroom with walk through closet." She showed them the last floor plan of the mountain to them along with a color rendering. "The ceiling is 18 feet tall using this vaulting system with exposed wood beams. The floor is also sustainable bamboo using a wide planks. The fireplace takes up one corner of the room with the closet and bathroom behind it that are all walk through."

"As you can see the fireplace is curved a little with almost no base save for this 1 foot of space. The mantle is equally curved and is a piece of solid wood. There's a cavity to store wood. The elevator and stairs are off to one side. While the opposite side are the french doors leading out onto one of the smaller balconies."

"And this is your master bathroom." She showed them another color rendering since they already had the floor plan. "As you can see the bathroom curves around the backside of the fireplace. From one entry the dual vanities are on one side, which is the inside wall opposite of the fireplace. Next is the water closet with frosted glass partitions to at least provide some privacy, then the shower followed by a free standing soaker tub with the other entrance on the wall just before the tub, and this is a cut sheet of the shower." She handed across two brochures for them to see.

"It has two hand held shower heads, body wash heads and even a molded seat where you can sit and shave your legs if that is the method you prefer. The blue lights you see are part of the aroma therapy system. It has a built-in sound system with an iPod dock. It's also a steam shower. The glass front doors are curved and they slide to either side. This only came out earlier this year." She walked them through the unit. "We can shower at the same time." Alexis was amazed at the unit.

"The last thing at the top is Sarah's emergency generator with a day's supply tank of diesel. The top is molded to look like the top of the mountain while all around the edge is a mesh to provide the generator with its required air and exhaust," she told them. They still had the pool, solar power panels, windmills, and anything else to go over. Let alone how long this was going to take and what it was going to cost them.


	34. Chapter 34

**K and K 34**

They walked through the pool area plans quickly which had a lot of glass along with a Jacuzzi on one end. It wasn't big enough to do true laps since the place needed to be a little small. There was even a uni-sex bathroom.

They talked about the windmills, solar power panels, and the need to do a thorough inspection of the existent cistern and existing generators since the island had been closed down a year ago and the owner had stripped the place of anything worth something.

"Comments?" Lidia asked them. Alexis started shuffling through the renderings and pulled out the Batman theme for the theater room. "We'll take this one but can we change out the individual chairs for loveseats and add a popcorn maker somewhere?" Alexis inquired. "I'm sure we can do that," she responded as someone made a note while another cleared his throat. Lidia groaned, searched her pockets, and handed over a $50 bill to him. He smiled and put his money away. _'They bet on what we would select.'_ Alexis smiled widely.

Alexis went back to searching the renderings and came up with the game room. "I love the Star Wars theme and want to make sure none of the games like the pool table show up looking traditional. The clash would be just too much," Alexis pointed out. "That shouldn't be a problem," she was assured.

Alexis pulled out the exercise room. "I love all of the windows of this room. We'll handle all of the plants," Alexis told them, meaning Katherine would.

"Is there an emergency form of exit besides the stairs next to the elevator off of the master bedroom? A zip line to somewhere perhaps?" Alexis asked. "We can look into that." She didn't see the need but these were her clients so they got what they wanted.

"We still need to find time to go out and view the island personally. I'm sure your associate has done a thorough job of inspecting the site but if we're going to spend this kind of money and change our lives..." Alexis trailed off. "I wouldn't suggest otherwise. Just tell me the date and I'll make sure he's there to walk the place with you and answer any questions you have."

"Now the bad part. What's it going to cost us since I know it's not free." Only other people or people in movies just got things for free. Lidia handed her a booklet that held all of the estimated costs for each item.

 **Island** \- US$8.5 million (suggest offering full price if you truly want it)

 **Windmills and battery back-up** \- seven at US$50,000 each = $350,000 (10 Kw per tower) Pitch controlled.

 **Solar Power Panels and framing** \- Three rows of 5 for 15 panels at US$54,000 per panel = $810,000. (7.5 Kw total)

 **Indoor pool including building** \- Estimated at US$100,000

 **Building the Mountain** \- US$4.25 million

 **Furnishing the Mountain** \- US$3.3 million (furniture, kitchen, exercise, bedrooms, HVAC, water heaters, Sarah, plates, glasses, sheets, comforters, towels, everything but personal items like shampoo, make-up, etc.)

 **Architect, Engineering, Structural, and Landscaping design fees** \- US$ 2.1 million

 **House Boat/Vet clinic -** 2011 Sunstar, 18 feet by 76 feet, will be fully operational and can be moved, just not out into the ocean, renovated. US$349,000.

 **Total** \- US$19.76 million

Alexis had already done some research and knew an architect and engineers would charge a percentage based on the total price so she wasn't surprised at their fee. Their design was just what she asked for and even though she was prepared, she had sticker shock. Katherine heard the number and knew she had twice that at her disposal plus Kate had mentioned it was just a fraction of the money she had.

The real question that needed to be asked was were they going to stay where they were or switch to go home to their world?

"Give us a chance to go see the place and Copenhagen and we'll get back to you." They still had to go looking for boats. Two commuter boats and something for longer distances.

"We'll be here waiting. In the mean time we'll be searching for companies who can do the job so we can have an estimate of how long it will take. Personally I'm thinking around the two year mark if we can get the number of contractors we will need and get them to show up at roughly the same time. One for each major project," Lidia informed them.

They were gone and headed back to the University for their classes. What Alexis hadn't yet told Katherine because she was a coward was that while she had been drifting towards medical, since meeting her she had decided to switch to veterinary medicine classes. Alexis now had the very same classes Katherine had. It meant she was four weeks behind but she had been helping Katherine with her homework since day one, so she was hoping that would help.

"Where are you going?" Katherine asked seeing Alexis had followed her to her class. "To class." Alexis gave her her best _'please don't shoot me'_ look and went into the classroom while Katherine held the door open.

Katherine was itching to question Alexis what she was doing all the way home. Instead they sat down and worked out when they had the time to fly to Copenhagen to view the island and the city.

"Hi Simon, I need for you to have the plane ready here in New York City for a flight to Copenhagen in three days. I'll get you a room in the same hotel and you can do as you please. You do still have your card?" Katherine questioned him. "Yes, ma'am. I still have more than enough money to fly you anywhere you choose. I'll fill the galley and be ready and waiting in the morning three days from now," he assured her.

"I'll have a guest but I don't expect we will be eating much on the plane beyond lunch, but do as you please. Thank you Simon," Katherine told him. "Thank you for the warning ma'am. Dina may wish to come if that isn't a problem. How long will we be staying?" he inquired. What she said would determine if his girlfriend could or would come. "Just the one night. We'll be flying back very late the next day," Katherine informed him. "She may want to come if it's only one night," he replied. "That will be fine Simon, she can come too. I'll make the reservations for both of us now. Thank you." Then Katherine ended the call.

They still needed to talk about the money, but that was only going to take place after they saw the place, visited Copenhagen, and saw the University. And she still had a question for Alexis.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate and her group had left early that night not convinced that it would be trouble free. However their crawling on their bellies had been trouble free. Now they were entering the area of the first small pond and could smell the stench of the dead bodies. It told them that no one had been there since they had been. Or at least no one who cared enough to clean up the dead bodies.

"Be careful Kevin. Those two dead Drow up on the top floor will likely have been found by now. This isn't going to go as easily this time." Not that Kate was sure it had been overly easy last time.

Kevin hadn't gotten far with Dapper, just out in front of Kate by a little, when Dapper started growling softly. Kate turned to face the others. "Back, everyone back and spread out a little." She started a pushing action and found a place for both her and Dapper to hide. "Quiet boy, just keep quiet." Kate scratched his ears and could hear his throat rumble.

Out of the tunnel came 18 of those raccoon looking guys that they now knew were called Derro; they used to be Dwarves at one time. Kate reached for her new **Elemental Gem** and was thinking about throwing it when out came another 12 just a few feet behind them. With them came 2 of those big wolf looking things. Twice the size of Dapper big.

They were growling the entire way having smelled dead bodies even before they cleared the tunnel. The one in front started yelling orders just as a **Fire Elemental** , followed by an **Air Elemental** suddenly materialized and immediately began attacking. The **Air Elemental** turned itself into a mini tornado as Kate watched and sucked several of them into its funnel. The yelling grew as they worked to surround the **Elementals** and launch counter attack. Kate watched as did the others to see how they fared with the **Elementals** before doing something else.

It took a few minutes but both **Elementals** were dead and the Derro were down to just half a dozen men plus the leader who went back to yelling orders. Kate watched two of them run for the tunnel they'd just come out of. However neither of them got very far when Kevin suddenly showed up and whipped one of them. That was followed by one of the ones left behind taking two arrows in his back. Now they had combatants on both sides and split their forces to attack each of them.

It only took a minute. The Derro were all dead and it had only cost them two **Gems** and a few arrows. "You know what this means," Kate said tersely. "It means the dock area is going to be crawling with these guys, probably double the number we encountered last time." Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if they had tripled it. "It also means the dock area on the far side will be more heavily guarded with patrols along the water's edge. I know I would," she commented. There maybe even a patrol of some type in the lake.

"This is not going to be as easy," Kate moaned as she watched Kevin disappear again. They followed him with Dapper several feet out in front of her. Kate could feel the tunnel starting to open up just as Kevin got her attention causing her to tell Dapper to stay. She activated her **Chameleon Ring** and followed him slowly, hugging the wall.

She was right, this wasn't going to be easy. Except for fear of giving them away, she would have cursed up a storm. Last time most of them had been unarmed workers loading a boat or barge with items in preparation for crossing the lake. This time the vast majority of them were armed and ready for a fight. There was actually a boat just finished loading. It was being readied to leave while Kate was concluding counting and verifying who and where everyone was.

They slipped away and went back to the others who were waiting with Dapper. "We've got trouble. I counted 32 armed and ready Derro and 6 of those Cave Trolls. There used to be just 8 unarmed workers. After a boat would depart it left just 1 unarmed worker behind but not now. They have all three docks guarded; even totally invisible we stand no chance of making it past them to a boat. Because of their numbers I'm suggesting we split into two groups of three. We're only steps away from the other group between the dock closest to the warehouse building and the next dock."

"Two of us will take on that group while the rest of us take on the remainder. As usual Rick and Jenny will lead the rest of us. Make as many of them blind as possible, blow the **H** **orn** to take on the closest Cave Trolls and Derro. From there we'll adapt as things progress. We are likely going to need all the **Elemental Gems** we have. Remember, we _can not_ allow anyone to escape and reach the city beyond or we'll never even make it to the first balcony let alone the tiny one way up high," Kate warned them.

With everyone invisible including Dapper and Storm they worked very hard to get into place since they had to dodge Derro and a couple of Cave Trolls without bumping into them. Once again Kate could hear the low rumble of Dapper who didn't like those people or his location that much.

Rick and Jenny had their magical items out and waited for the largest group to stumble into position. In this case Jenny was first since she got three of the Cave Trolls and a few of the Derro within range and was rewarded with them all crying out and clawing at their eyes. Jenny was pleased, however, everyone noticed this group responded a lot faster. It forced Rick to use his **W** **and** and shoot bright colors that blinded everyone in range. That handled a few of them while the **Elemental** **G** **ems** that Lanie and Kate threw held up everyone else and the fight was on.

Jenny was firing a blinding ray, Rick was using his **W** **and** and Javi was firing arrows while the other three waited not wanting to get that far away from their friends possibly ending up surrounded and in trouble.

Because of the number of Derro and Cave Trolls the first two **Elementals** died a little too quickly forcing Javi to blow his **H** **orn** while another two **Elemental G** **ems** produced another pair of **Elementals**.

A Cave Troll that went swimming and came up behind them got Lanie, Kevin, and Kate involved in a hand-to-hand fight. Thanks to Kevin's range with his whip he got away unscathed while Lanie and Kate took their lumps till finally the Cave Troll was lying dead.

They had lost two more **Elementals** and were down to just 2 of Javi's **S** **ummoned** **B** **arbarians** when the fight was finished. What was worse Jenny didn't have enough charges left in her **G** **em** to get another fan of colors. She was down to just four individual rays. Another challenge was that Rick was running low on charges in his **W** **and of** **I** **nvisibility**. He had enough for now, but if they did this again he was going to need another one and soon.

Lanie wanted to save her spells for what was to come so she and Kate used potions to recover from their wounds that the Cave Troll had inflicted on them. They spent an hour and collected any gold or silver pieces they came across and left the copper. Copper added too much weight for too little gain.

Like last time they boarded a boat and started rowing for the landing site they used previously. This time they were a little better at it, reaching their site quickly. However, they slowed down to check for patrols. After seeing none they grounded their boat, got out, and slipped into the warehouse area.

It was there that they spotted a patrol of four walking between the buildings and the shore. "If we kill them they'll be missed and the alarm will be raised," Kate warned quietly. "And when they see our boat that shouldn't be there?" Rick countered, causing Kate to think about it. "Fine, use your **W** **and** , kill them and stuff their dead bodies in one of these buildings. Kevin, find a building we can put them into with Javi as backup." Kate gave out orders and the others followed them having learned that this Kate was good at what she did.

One color spray later with Kate slitting their throats and they had their four dead bodies dumped inside a warehouse with Kevin re-locking the door. They were off for the land bridge that led to the city.

They had reached the land bridge that itself had a few small bridges since some of it was rocky. They were all invisible again and Rick knew he was going to need another of these **W** **ands** soon. "SHIT!" Kate cursed out loud not worried about anyone hearing her since the front gate and the balcony above it were heavily guarded. Easily double of what had been here last time. They even watched as a pair of Derro with one of those large wolves started walking down the bridge toward them. They were growling loudly and straining at their collars, dying to find someone to kill and devour.

"Over the side; go carefully and slowly. As carefully and slowly as it takes," Kate told everyone, waiting until she and Dapper were last. Dapper and Storm were having a little trouble but that was nothing compared to the trouble their two legged friends were having. Their boots and pant legs were wet and they likely had a few cuts on their legs when they eventually reached the far end. Kate worried about crossing in front of everyone, even if they were invisible. They had already stopped and held their breath when those wolves stopped twice, struggling and growling just above them.

She had only one choice and hoped for the best. "We go all the way around." Kate had Kevin out front followed by Storm, Javi, Lanie, Rick, Jenny, Dapper, and herself on this narrow piece of land that varied between 2 feet and 3 feet in width. Every time a rock was kicked off down into the water 60 feet below everyone cringed, stopped, and held their breath. All the lights were on in the city and it was easy to see that the moat, which was what Kate was calling it, was shallow and filled with stalagmites making it impassable by boat.

Their feet were still freezing by the time they reached the far side below the balcony they had used last time. Kevin sent the rope up and started climbing. It took some time for him to signal the all clear. Javi climbed up while Lanie flew Storm up. It took some time but they were all finally there. "There were guards," Kevin informed them as he sent the rope up to the next balcony. He signaled for Javi to follow with Lanie flying up Storm again.

Kate was last and had just started when the doors opened and out came 6 Derro, all heavily armed and armored. She froze and held her breath till they went back inside after checking everything including the railing around the edge of the balcony.

Finally Kate was up and they rested for a moment. "We can't afford to rest long. The guards came back out just as I started climbing," Kate advised them which had Kevin climbing up to the tiny balcony followed by Lanie flying up Storm and Dapper. It was tight quarters and they were early by just over half a day, though it was hard to tell time underground. "Now what? We're going to be spotted we stay here long," Kevin pointed out.

"I have a spell for that," Rick announced and began casting his first spell.

 _Rope Trick_ \- _A standard piece of rope is used to rise up into the air and into a hole in the air that is in fact an extra dimensional space. A person climbs the rope and enters the space. There is room for 8 people of any size. Once the rope is pulled up those inside are invisible to anyone. There is a 5 foot hole that one can see through where the rope had been_ _; one_ _can see out though no one can see in._

Six of them and 2 dogs made eight; since Kate was last and pulled the rope up behind her she was left to watch out of the 5 foot round window at the balcony. There was a drawback to this plan though. An extra dimensional space cannot enter another extra dimensional space, so they had to tie their six backpacks by rope over the side of the balcony and hope for the best.

It was a little over an hour later Kate was guessing when she placed a finger over her mouth and pointed down. What she saw was a male Drow exit the room and step out onto the balcony. He looked out and saw the Derro guards down below.

The other Drow had gone ballistic when they had found their rooms ransacked, missing every magical item, and everything of worth gone. They had become even more outraged when they found the 2 dead bodies that had been stripped clean.

They had put the entire city on alert and had sent out large patrols along with guards everywhere. They didn't know how they had done it but were guessing that they had entered while they were greeting Lolth, their Goddess. That alone had only increased their rage. They had made sure the Derro had paid a price for their failure.

He had a wicked smile thinking about all those Derro slaving away in one of the Drow mines till they died in a few months. Whippings, poor food, and polluted water tended to take a toll on their slaves.

Currently satisfied with what he saw, he went back inside to attend yet another meeting with the others. They had yet to reach a consensus. Some wanted to continue as planned, others wanted to wait and verify that their thieves were just that, thieves and not a vanguard for something more. However it had been over a week at this point and they had nothing to suggest the breech was nothing more than skillfull thieves. Very daring thieves. The kind of thieves that they could use and the Drow had lots of practice at converting good men to the side of evil to do their bidding.

When they found them they would either be tortured till time itself came to an end or they would spend years converting them to pure evil just like the thousands before them. Their only problem was they needed to find them before Lolth found out and took out Her rage on them instead.

Torturing someone else was a good thing; being tortured forever was quite another.


	35. Chapter 35

**K and K 35**

Kate and Alexis were walking to bay N23 for their flight to Copenhagen. Alexis's ears were still hurting from when she told Katherine what she had done. "Animals are my life not yours," Katherine had told her. "I was already leaning towards medicine as my major, I just didn't know what it would be. Being a veterinarian is still medicine; it just isn't for a person," Alexis defended herself. "Just think...we could open a veterinary hospital together on our houseboat and if they can't come to us, we go to them since the houseboat will still be operational," Alexis said enthusiastically. "And when our little houseboat can't leave this bay it is in? Just how fast does this houseboat travel?" Katherine still had questions that they needed to solve first before they spent this money.

Alexis had deflated at those questions. At first she thought a houseboat would be the easiest and least expensive to renovate, but Katherine was right. They were slow and couldn't have the waves of an ocean hit them or they might be swamped. "Fine, so we search for something other than a houseboat for our mobile hospital, but it needs to be big and may already need some work since we will be gutting it." Alexis admitted to her mistake.

"Please don't do this just because of me," Katherine begged her while hugging her tightly. However Alexis had a new hand of cards in her hand. "I'm doing it because I love you. I don't want you to leave and I like the idea. It has a future built into it," Alexis replied, though changing to a boat did mean doing more research and likely spending still more money.

They saw Simon and a tall woman who had long, dark, reddish hair standing beside him. She was wearing heels and dressed very nicely. The plane was open and they had gotten their attention even though neither of them had ever seen his girlfriend. "Ready to go?" Katherine asked.

"We're all set ma'am. The galley is stocked as is the wine cooler; our flight plan has been posted and we can reach Copenhagen easily with no need for refueling. We have a little weather over Heathrow so we will likely be going south of it," Simon informed them.

"This is Alexis, my best friend and partner," Katherine informed Dina as she didn't like the looks Dina was giving Alexis. Dina looked to be a competitor for Alexis's affection. This is Dina," Katherine finished the introduction. "A pleasure to meet you. I love your hair, it speaks well of you," Dina told Alexis and shook her hand feeling a soft touch back. _'Oh_ _,_ _I_ _could teach you so much little one, so very much_ _,_ _'_ Dina was thinking, let alone they could both make a lot of money if she joined her.

Katherine and Alexis were a little surprised when Dina joined Simon up front for the first few hours. Still it gave them time to talk about what they were going to do when they got there. Alexis looked at their reservations.

 **D'Angleterre Hyhavn** , 699 square feet of a deluxe one bedroom suite. It was a 17th century building right on a canal. A canal that they might be using in the future with their mobile vet hospital. It came with airport transfers as part of their reservation. Since this was Alexis's idea she was footing the bill except for the plane, of course.

Katherine and Alexis were sitting facing each other with a small table between them snacking and drinking wine when Dina decided to join them. "That looks nice," Dina mentioned. "Please, help yourself," Katherine offered. "Thank you." And Dina headed to the galley that she knew well now.

"What takes you two to Copenhagen?" Dina was curious and their answer would tell her much. "Shopping partly," Katherine told her, just not shopping for what. "We also want to tour the University. I might be transferring there in the near future," Alexis added. Alexis's answer told Dina more than Serena's did.

"I've never been here which is why I jumped at the chance when Simon phoned. Some sightseeing, shopping, and some fun for almost two whole days had me sold. Thank you for inviting me," Dina said. "You're welcome, I'm sure Simon's happy you could come."

"Oh, he will be I assure you." Dina meant sex but it was also a message to Serena that she still had no intention of hurting Simon, not that Katherine got it since it had been Kate who had talked to her last time. They shared the ride to their hotel and it was there that Dina and Simon found out they would be staying in a room identical to the one Alexis and Serena would be staying in. They were even on the same floor just several doors away from each other.

So far it had been a challenge for Alexis to remember to call Katherine "Serena" which was the name those two knew her by. She was still catching herself right up until the door was closed. Alexis collapsed onto the loveseat in the living room after dropping her overnight bag on the floor. "I'm going to screw up and call you Kat I just know it," Alexis buried her face in her hands.

Katherine tossed her bag on the bed. "You and me both. Every time she called me Serena I really thought she was talking to someone else. I don't know how Kate keeps all of this straight." Katherine joined Alexis on the loveseat. Their suite was nice. It had beige carpet, off-white walls; all of the living room furniture was a variation of the color purple while the coffee table and end tables were a dark wood. Even the drapes had some purple in them as did the comforter on the bed. They hadn't seen the bathroom yet.

"We need to get going if we want to see the University today and the island tomorrow morning," Katherine reminded her to get her mind off the plane trip. "We're going to need umbrellas," Alexis pointed out since it had been raining when they landed and still was. They each bought an umbrella at the hotel gift shop and went outside headed for the University and do some looking around.

There were actually four campuses that made up the University. **North Campus** was home to Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. **City Center** was home to Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Theology and Administration, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science. **South Campus** was home to Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Theology. **Frederiksberg Campus** was home to Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

A trip to the Administration Building told them they would be where the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences was located for access to the Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences. This told them either **North Campus** or **Frederiksberg Campus** , so they headed for those and walked those two areas.

Dyrlaegevej 16, 1870 Frederiksberg C they found out was the only place they could go which conflicted with what the lady in the Administration Building had told them. The building itself was not very pleasant to look at. "It looks a lot like a warehouse." Alexis was not impressed, still it was a good school.

Dyrlaegevej turned out to be a long road that actually took a hard right turn not far to the west. They also found that getting from the dock where they could park their boat, depending on who had an open space was not exactly close. They were going to need either a car or a scooter with rain gear. "We need to modify our plans," Alexis mentioned as they found a place to sit and have a really late lunch near the dock area, meaning seafood.

"A car means a license and a scooter means maybe since we need to do some research," Alexis pointed out. "It also means a bigger commuter boat to carry the scooter in and get it out and back in for each trip."

"Do we still need two boats if we're both in the same classes?" Katherine questioned. "Probably since we can't guarantee that we'll have the exact same class schedule. Plus what if one of us has a doctor appointment or dental appointment?" Alexis commented and saw that blank look on Katherine's face. She explained what a doctor and dentist were. "It also means we need more information from Kate. She may likely have a doctor and dentist and some type of medical coverage," Alexis said. "We need to search your purse for a medical insurance card." Alexis didn't know why she hadn't thought of that earlier. Just that there was so much to do.

It had stopped raining when they left their lunch and agreed to never come to this place again. It looked like the break in the weather was going to be short lived. "Play tourist till tomorrow morning?" Alexis questioned getting Katherine to nod. They came here to see if they liked the city so they needed to look around.

They decided to eat late in the hotel's restaurant. "So, what did you think?" Alexis asked her. Katherine stopped eating and thought. "It's rained almost all day so it doesn't smell like New York. There are still cars, but not as many of them and it doesn't feel like wall-to-wall people. I did notice a number of people don't speak English though so we'd have to learn Danish." Alexis nodded, hearing Katherine mention all the things she didn't like about New York that Copenhagen didn't have was helpful and made her smile. "It will be two years at least in New York before transferring to here and moving our credits." What Alexis wanted to ask was, was Katherine in for this move? But they still had to tour the island tomorrow and see it for themselves.

Katherine found Alexis in their bed waiting for her as she lifted up the covers exposing that she wasn't wearing a sleep shirt. A sleep shirt had become their silent way of saying "no sex tonight." Their periods were still a little off from each other by a few days but today thankfully wasn't one of those days.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They had his name and phone number and he told them were he would be waiting for them for their boat ride out to the island. "Mr. Jackson?" Alexis asked as they approached what they thought was the right place. "Ms. Castle and Ms. Beckett." He shook both of their hands. He looked vaguely familiar to Alexis. Maybe it was his size or the shape of his eyes, something. He was older than they anticipated. His hair and beard were silver. "Shall we go, it's not far and will only take a few minutes from here," he offered.

They found a very young man doing the piloting on a boat that wasn't all that big. There were seats and they bounced a little all the way out till they passed through the opening in the barrier.

"Shall we start? First I would look into having another layer placed on top of the barrier around the island. Have them create something made out of concrete in the form of a star and drop them on top. It should only cost you a few thousand dollars, or at least another layer of rock."

"Let's start with the main building." He walked them around then went into the old building. "The kitchen for the restaurant used to be here. In this case they used propane though I've been told you have chosen to use all electricity which is probably a good choice since you'll be making your own."

He walked them through the dining hall, then down the hallway that had showers on one side followed by rooms that were small and still had beds in them. "As I understand it this building will be demolished which is a solid plan," telling them that he approved.

"Let's go see the hollow area through the door down there next, then we can go up top and see the old antiaircraft gun emplacements," he suggested.

To say it was hollow was being generous. Mostly it was just a wide tunnel that teed at the end into the same size tunnel that went left and right. They only saw what the flashlights he handed out to them showed them. "It has lighting, not a lot but a little." He pointed at a light that was missing a bulb.

"Let's show you the existing generators." And he walked over to another door that opened into another hollowed out area. Here they found 2 generators that were powered off of a large diesel tank buried in the room next to this one. "I put just enough diesel in the tank and had to do some work on the control panel and a little work on each generator but I got them to start. ...Cover your ears," he warned them and fired both of them up.

"A LITTLE LOUD BUT THEY WORK GREAT. MAYBE A NEW MUFFLER," he yelled over the noise then shut them down. "They're two different sizes as you can see. This one is a 200 Kw unit that will use 12 gallons per hour at 100% load. This one is an 80Kw unit that will use 4.6 gallons per hour. This control panel is actually a step panel. By that I mean the smaller one will come on until the load exceeds its capacity and then the other one will start up. I'm told you plan on having solar panels and windmills with a battery backup. With that setup I seriously doubt that this bigger one here will ever turn on again."

"In case it hasn't been explained to you, a simple 100 watt light bulb is 0.1 Kw and if left on for 8 hours is 800 watts or 0.8 Kw. Just your solar panels alone will power seventy-five 100 watt bulbs each hour and then there's what your windmills can do."

"Another example: assume for a minute that you plan on using a mini-split system for each room, which i recommend by the way, that way you can turn on or off or just lower or raise the temperature as you please. A single unit that is 20,300 btu/h is equal to just under 6 Kw. Take that 6 Kw and multiply it by the number of rooms you plan on having and that's how much power just keeping hot or cool will cost you."

"But remember if you aren't in that room you don't need it as cool or warm as the room you're in so the Kw demand will go down leaving you power for cooking, hair dryers, TV, DVD player, etc. Just remember that TV you turned off using the remote isn't really off. It's called vampire power since it's using a tiny amount of power 24 hours a day just waiting for you to press that power button on your remote to turn it back on." he informed them.

"We have 7 windmills at 10 Kw each we're told," Alexis told him feeling secure in his presence for some reason. "70 Kw in wind power alone, nice! I'm told you have solar panels?" he questioned. "That's only 7.5 Kw total." Alexis wasn't as impressed by solar anymore.

"Hmm, sounds like when you have little to no wind your solar system isn't going to keep up at peak times so this little guy here will come on to compensate. Like I said this big boy here may never run again. It will allow your 1,000 gallon tank of diesel last a long time, likely a really long time. Hire a good company to get the controls just right and you'll be fine," he said then took them upstairs to see the old antiaircraft gun emplacements. They were mostly in the center and off to one side. It helped explain why their mountain was off to one side. "Now say you light this place up like nobody's business during Christmas. Maybe and just maybe this big boy just might turn on. Still it sounds like you'll have more electricity than you know what to do with." It also gave him an idea. He just had to sneak it into the design.

"Tell me you have a plan for getting off this island." It was after all an island and he had two young women in front of him. "We were planning on two commuters big enough to hold a scooter to get into town with then eventually something bigger to travel in," Alexis replied. "We're also going to get a couple of Jet Skies."

"Just make sure your design supports space for a fuel tank for your boats and jet skies. Your boats will likely be using diesel depending on design, while the jet skies will need something else. You don't want to get trapped here with no fuel." He warns them.

"With a scooter means not too small which is nice. As for your big one, be careful just how big. That entrance to this area here can only handle just so big." He was hoping not one of those Mega Yachts. "We were warned, shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll be happy to do some looking for you and send your architect some options for boats that will fit your need," he offered. "That won't be necessary, I'm sure we can find something." Alexis stopped him. "Do as you wish but I'm still going to do it. I'm dying to see what's out there and I might as well share," he said.

"Shall we walk the perimeter?" he inquired and began walking around the 7.6 acres. Showing them the depressions that were used as a base for the anti-aircraft guns. "These guys would be perfect for those windmills of yours. Theirs even 7 of them, what a coincidence." He was on to them.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Well that's it ladies. I trust you enjoyed your tour. All in all it's a nice little island. No trees and no plants, just grass and concrete," he said. "That will change." Alexis had faith in Katherine's abilities with plants. "There isn't much dirt here so be careful," he warned them.

They had a plan to fix that too. "Thank you for the tour, it's been quite helpful." Alexis and then Katherine shook his hand. "It's been my pleasure ladies. I'm thankful that the weather has decided to cooperate though that may change tonight. I don't know what you have planned but I wish you luck."

What they didn't know was that he was going to watch everything and even throw in a surprise or two. He felt like he owed it and he was going to pay. So when he got to his room which was far more simple than theirs, he was online and on the phone and had their first commuter boat for them for a lot less than what it was being offered at. He figured that if he just bought it and gave it to them they would reject it and if they only had to spend $100 for it they would reject it again, so he had to be careful.

He had had only a moment of weakness when he learned that Richard had been killed in an ISIS raid. Right now he was having another and wiped away the single tear that he was willing to release. "I'll watch her son, I'll watch her."

It was a Van Lent & Zonen, 50 foot steel TSDY, built in 1960. It was 50 feet in length, displaced 23 tons and had a welded steel hull. It had 2 diesel Perkins 6, 140 hp to power it. It had a shallow draft and was still deep sea worthy. The interior had been completely upgraded in 2007. Extensive hull work, a complete rewire, a complete overhaul of the engines, pumps, pipe work, and controls. It even had radar.

It was solid cherry and tulip throughout and Brazilian walnut in the cabin. It had a sliding roof. It even had heating in the 3 main areas of the boat. It also had a method to launch and recover a dingy that he figured would work for a scooter just as easily he hoped. All of the lighting was now LED so it saved on power. It even had two solar hot water panels for the shower in the bathroom. It held 600 liters of fuel, two stainless steel tanks for 2,000 gallons of potable water and another two stainless steel tanks for 2,000 gallons of black water. Four electric bilge pumps.

He just had to figure out what they would believe the price was instead of the GBD$68,000 it was being sold for. Now off to look for that long distance cruiser they had mentioned that would still fit in their space. It took him a little while but he thought he found something that they might like. Alexis looked like a modern kind of girl, however her friend looked more old world and this beauty was all old world.

It was a 1929 Consolidated Commuter and had been lovingly restored to original specs save for the addition of a radar dish. Sixty-six feet long, made of double planked mahogany over cedar with bronze screws. She had twin 1996 Alfo Fiat 400-hp water cooled diesel engines with stainless steel shafts. Fuel consumption was 80 liters per hour at 24 kn giving it a range of 700 nautical miles. 2,500 liters of fuel in a stainless steel tank and 1,200 gallons of potable water in twin copper tanks.

24 volt with 5 batteries, an Onan 6 Kw generator. It could sleep 7 with 3 state rooms. Galley with double bowl sink, 6 burner stove with oven and 2 refrigerators. All of the interior wood was finished in varnish. 2 electric bilge pumps. It even came with the original dingy and with a 4 foot draft she was good to go up most rivers.

Again he had the problem of what they would believe the price was instead of the GBD$500,000 it was being sold for. He just had to buy them and get them to Copenhagen for them to purchase using their architect to give them a little shove.

Satisfied he shutdown his laptop and went back to his real work. If they wanted another boat he would either let them buy their own or offer another option. He really did want them closer so he could keep an eye on them easier, so maybe he would be looking for that third boat after all. He even considered those two scooters they talked about.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was only a week later and they were both back in the architect's office this time with just Lidia. "We've decided to go ahead with the plan however can we lower the ceiling in the kitchen? One that doesn't require a library ladder to use?" Alexis was the cook and while she liked the idea of more cabinet space, she feared that the ladder would just get in the way and she would be forever pushing it out of the way.

"We can accomplish that easily enough, we'll have to adjust to a different light but we'll find something," Lidia agreed. "The pendant lights over the two islands are staying." Alexis had liked them. "Of course, not a problem. Is there anything else?" She knew it had a lot of space and she wondered just how many people were going to be in this mountain.

"Well, we've been debating about taking out a level of guest rooms. It will just be us and perhaps my grandmother from time to time, but I don't want to short change us in the future," Alexis explained.

"Can you add space for a dog or two? I'll teach them how to use the elevator but they will need space to go do their business if we get home too late," Katherine inquired.

"I can keep the level and remove one of the bedrooms and shrink the bathroom to create the space open to the elevator. I'm afraid I can't put doggie doors in the stairwell. That's your emergency exit and needs to be fire rated. Putting in doggie doors in the door on each floor will defeat that purpose," she warned them while she took notes for this change also. "There may be some changes once the engineers start designing their systems. HVAC will need space to run their equipment and plumbing will need room to install a booster pump to get the water up to the top floor. We also need to look into the need for a variance so that we don't have to install sprinklers in the mountain. If we have to do that we will need an even bigger cistern and a fire pump, but I'll let you know," Lidia informed them which gave them a small scare. It was already costing a lot.

"Houseboat," Katherine whispered. "Oh yeah, about the houseboat. We're worried that it won't handle the waves if we want to take it to our patient(s) and would like you to think of something bigger and faster." They hadn't come up with anything and hoped she could.

"No houseboat but a bigger boat to be refitted instead as a vet hospital. I'll see what I can do." She already knew of someone who was planning on helping them with boats; maybe he could come up with something. "Speaking of boats, you mentioned wanting at least one commuter boat and something more long distance. Perhaps these two will work for you." She handed them a sheet that had been modified to show a different price to them.

"The commuter boat might be a little big for what you are thinking, but you told me over the phone about wanting it to carry a scooter. This can launch a dingy so why not a scooter? As for the other boat, you mentioned you didn't want a modern Mega Yacht so I was wondering if this old girl would work for you. She has been totally refurbished in 2007 to bring it back up to what it looked like in 1929, though it does have a few modern conveniences like a depth sounder and a radar dish with a color display screen," she offered.

"The best part, I'm thinking, is the price of each. And at this price they won't last long, someone will snap them up in a heartbeat," she warned which she knew was a lie. "We didn't bring the money for them, just the deposit that you asked for," Alexis informed her though they could go to a bank and take more money out of the account Katherine had in Fiji like they did for this payment. "And we will need to see them first." Alexis didn't like the idea of buying something sight unseen.

"I'll print out the address for both of them and you can go see when you have the time. They are both located in Great Britain, so you will need to fly." Lidia warns them.

"And payment is not a problem. I'll just modify what you owe for the next payment, simple," she smiled.

And on that note they were now committed to the purchase of the island and start on the final design while the Architect searched for contractors willing to take on the project. She was however being paid good money and didn't mind making a number of phone calls. The pictures of this place once complete was going into her company website and brochure. It was really going to make a statement for future clients.


	36. Chapter 36

**K and K 36**

Alexis and Katherine had run into a snag in their plans for Katherine to be a registered veterinarian. First she really needed 4-1/2 years of schooling that included certain classes. Now Kate had in fact taken a number of them in her schooling and they were able to transfer those credits. The problem was it had been Kate who took the classes. Because of that Katherine was suffering in her classes and even though Alexis was doing her best to help her, she just couldn't keep up.

"What classes did you take in your world?" Alexis asked her. "I grew up in a tiny village; what I learned, I learned from my parents and my gran. Schools similar to this one were only in major cities and I don't actually know of too many. The closest was weeks away even by horseback." That was something that Alexis had been afraid of. Their worlds were just too different. Alexis was going to have to take some if not all of those classes first, and that was before the 4 years that Alexis and even Katherine were presently enrolled in. Something that was going to have to change.

"I'll be 50 by the time I graduate and become a veterinarian." Katherine collapsed onto the sectional and didn't know whether she should cry or laugh so she did a little of both and it sounded terrible. Alexis sat next to her and held her tight while Katherine did the same. She needed a lifeboat. The 15 years of difference between their ages had just hit them in the face like a hurricane or tornado. They were secure with each other, but this was just too much.

"How many coins are left?" Alexis asked since she had a crazy idea, a really crazy idea. One that would do her dad proud. Her question made Katherine think about it since the skull and coins were in their bedroom and she didn't want to let go of Alexis to go count. "We started with 11. Kate used the first one by accident leaving 10. We used four more while I was in Canada which takes us down to 6. Kate used one to get me to Fiji so that leaves 5. When I use one it will leave 4. When Kate uses another there will be 3 left. Just enough for us to change places one more time before she gets the last say. She uses it and we'll be here or there for life," Katherine counted out.

"I want you to listen, just listen because I have an idea. Kate has a lot of information that we need. She has all of the money that we need access to. We're going to use up half of what she left you, leaving you with $20 million plus what Dad left me which is half of that," Alexis informed her yet again. Martha had gotten the other half and the government got their cut leaving them with just under $10 million each, plus the houses and cars.

"She's living your life at your age while you are living your life at her age. You are out 15 years and that quite frankly sucks. Fifteen years of your life, poof!" Alexis spread her arms wide to emphasize her point. "I want you to record a heartfelt plea not to just ask to change places but to change years as well. She goes back to being 37 while you go back to being 24 and pray that it works. Hopefully the magic of this thing's that powerful. But you need to decide Kat...do you want to stay here with me even if this doesn't work?" Alexis's heart was pounding and it felt like a heart attack. Her heart was either going to soar or be crushed.

"I hated her Canadian home, it was a prison and I was all alone. At home I had new friends and I was starting to like Rick then I ended up here. Fiji was better and nicer but I was still alone and just wanted to go home while I searched this world. Now I have a reason to stay...I have you," Katherine's lower lip was quivering and her tears were flowing. She suddenly found herself being crushed by Alexis and then kissed hard. "I want you to stay. I really want this to work. You're getting the ass end of this deal," Alexis kissed her again.

They just held each other for a while till Katherine had a question. "What about classes?" She was falling behind in the complex classes because she didn't actually have a base of 4 years under her. "You miss a semester," Alexis scrunched up her face since it sucked as an idea.

"And fall even further behind," Katherine moaned. "Not if this plan works Kat, not if it works," Alexis countered and hugged her. "Take a couple of days and think of what you want to tell her. Just remember, I'll be here to help plead your case," Alexis reminded her then kissed her again.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis came home from school to find Katherine sitting on the floor at the coffee table with a pad and pen. "HI! How's it coming?" Alexis sat on the sectional next to her and tried to take a peek. "You tell me," Katherine handed Alexis her the pad and watched her read, not being able to read her face. "A little less Canada maybe. You don't want her to feel too guilty. You want her to see this switch from your point of view. Especially since she has the final say with the last coin," Alexis advised her. Still Alexis was going to do everything she could to get Kate to use that last coin since she wanted Katherine back permanently.

"Maybe more about what you're trying to accomplish, that you need your 13 years back to achieve that. Show her your heart and what this means to you," Alexis handed it back for more revisions, kissed her and headed for the kitchen to start dinner. "Where's Grams?"

They had discussed their plan with her just days ago and while Martha was sad to see her go and leave her alone, she told her, "It's your life my darling, time to start living it. I know you miss your father and I dearly wish I could change that. But he would want you to live your life and be happy. And I think you _are_ happy."

"You _c_ _ould_ come with us Martha. It's really big and has four spare bedrooms. There's a theater room, game room, exercise room, and even an indoor pool. It's a very quick boat ride away from Copenhagen. We could even get you your own boat and a space in a marina to park it," Katherine coaxed. Katherine shut her down the instant she opened her mouth to decline. "Think about it Martha. Your son's gone and and when we leave you'll be here all alone. Move your school to Copenhagen. I'm betting you have the money," Katherine tried to persuade her.

"I'll show you Copenhagen, Grams. You can come with us when we go look at it while it's under construction. You'll get to see what we do. Maybe even stay there after we leave for a little while," Alexis added her voice. "I can send Simon to come get you and bring you back," Katherine added a little sugar to sweeten things.

"I make no promises," Martha told them which Alexis interpreted as a yes. She squealed like a teenager again and hugged her grams for all she was worth.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was sitting on the sectional with the laptop in front of her along with the skull and all of the remaining magic coins. She had just finished watching her video for the third time and made a quick note on the pad next to the laptop as Alexis came through the door. She dropped everything and sat down next to her. "Have you recorded anything?" She knew that they agreed that today would be the day. "Four different times actually and I'm still making notes," Katherine pointed to her paper.

"You'll be back Kat, I swear it! Even if I have to tie her down and whip her to...yeah I wouldn't do that. It'll work, it has to," Alexis hugged her tightly and sniffled since even she had fears. "I suppose I should do this then," Katherine commented. "Where's Grams?" They had only half a plan on how to handle Martha. "She has a class and said she would be back late," Katherine informed her.

"I'm right here and I love you," Alexis squeezed her. "I love you too," Katherine didn't know how many times she had told Alexis and somehow this felt like it would be her last time. "It'll work, it has to work," Alexis said positively then kissed her head and went behind the sectional to stand behind her and watch.

Katherine took a deep breath and did what she had done all the other times. They had agreed to leave the age request to Kate's last time as they both wished it. This would be an information change of places.

Katherine, however, had a plan that she hadn't shared with Alexis since she had no idea if it would work. Even to her it was an idea that was way out there and doomed to failure. Still she was going to try; she just hoped Alexis didn't kill her when she came back.

Katherine made her plea and held a coin while touching the skull then saw a flash of light. Alexis just stood there looking at her as though nothing had changed. Katherine was still sitting there.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Did it work?" Alexis asked softly. But what she got wasn't something she was expecting. Katherine jumped up off of the sectional, spun in place, and took a stance ready to intercept any swing headed her way while delivering one of her own. Except what she saw was a young woman with chin length, fiery red hair. Pale skinned, she was quite pretty. "Who are you?" Kate asked in a demanding voice.

"Please tell me you're Kate. I'm Alexis Castle and this is my home," Alexis spread her arms to sweep the space. "Castle?" Kate was confused. Alexis nodded softly. "Richard Castle is my father _...w_ _as_ my father." Talking about him being gone still hurt her heart.

"Rick?" Kate looked around and could easily see she was back in her world. Plus the skull and coins solidified it for her. She relaxed. "Rick has, had a daughter?" Kate had heard the word _WAS_. "Dad was killed by ISIS in an attack in Paris a few months ago. Kat tells me you are involved with my dad in your world," Alexis said.

"Where am I exactly?" Kate asked, abruptly changing the subject."This is my home in downtown Manhattan, New York City, 2016. It's late winter here, almost spring," Alexis explained. Kate relaxed some more then saw notes and a laptop that were likely in front of her at the time. "Kat left you a recorded message and a few notes," Alexis gestured at them.

"Kat?" Kate questions. "I got tired of always calling her Katherine; it didn't have that personal caring for another person in it. It sounded like I was talking to one of my professors. I tried Kate first but she didn't like that, so I tried Kat and it's stuck so far. You might want to watch her message before we talk," Alexis suggested and watched Kate sit down, making sure Alexis didn't sneak up behind her. Kate woke the laptop and saw her older self on the screen then pressed ENTER.

 _"Hi, I've recorded this 4 times now and none of them really said what I wanted to say. By now you've met Alexis. Alexis has become my best friend in this world; she's also planted herself squarely in the middle of my heart. It's a funny thing – you've got Rick and I've got his daughter. I love her with all of my heart and I trust her. What I don't or can't tell you she can. There are a number of things that have happened. Alexis will help you to understand and show you what we're doing together."_

 _"To get to the point, I want to stay in this world...with Alexis. What we need to know is if you want to stay in mine? Forever. There should be only 4 magical coins left now. Three after you use one to go back and I want you to go back if for no other reason than to find out what you want. If or when I use another one, that will leave you with just the one, placing both of our futures in your hands. My question is, where do you want to live, here or there?"_

 _"I still have a lot to learn here and in several ways I still feel lost, so out of place. All the things that you take for granted are things that I don't know. I didn't have the education that you had. I didn't take the classes that you have and it's placed me at a disadvantage in this world."_

 _"This leads me to my one big request. When I use the next to last coin I'm going to also wish for my 13 years back. I want to be 24 again and not 37. I want to live those years and not lose them. I'm asking for you to do the same with the very last coin. I will wait for a year or more before using the next to last coin. You have that long to do something in your life while still 24 if this actually works. I know Rick likes you, really likes you. He's chosen you over me and that's fine. Get married, have a baby. Do what you didn't do in this world. Just please, let me have that same privilege. I know you told me you were a thief/assassin in this world. I'm asking that you not steal from me."_

 _"That's about all I have to say. There are a few notes for you to read that are meant just for you. Oh, please give me 2 months back in my world. There's something I want to do and I need to decide what to do with Dapper. He's my animal companion and I can only have just the one. I love him and miss him, but it's not fair to him to stay loyal to you when he's mine. It's going to be difficult but I'm thinking of releasing him and let him choose. I'll ask our friends if they think you would want him to stay as just a pet instead of something more. He could still be helpful and he may want to stay. I'm going to miss him," Katherine wiped away a stray tear._

 _"Please give me 2 months and talk to Alexis. Bye for now," Katherine waved and reached down to end the recording._

Kate just sat there thinking it all over. "My Rick doesn't have a daughter," she turned to look at Alexis. "I know, Kat told me. But he could...with you. Thirty seven isn't too late, especially with our medicine today, but in her world that might be a death sentence. How old is Dad there?" Alexis wondered just how different he was.

"Wizards go through a lot of training so Rick is 30 in that world. Six years older than me. If I agree to this I'll be 7 years older than him," Kate pointed out what she would be giving up. "I'm 22 and you're 37 in this world. Is that fair?" Alexis fought back. Kate hadn't guessed 22, more like 24 or maybe 25.

"I take it there's something we need to discuss?" Kate changed the subject. "Follow me please," Alexis walked to her dad's...to _her_ study. Kate was right behind her. "Kat and I have a plan. She likes Fiji but hates New York City so we're looking at moving. Actually we've already bought the island and have made the first payment to begin the design phase. Also while you're here we'll be flying to Great Britain to look at and perhaps buy two boats," Alexis started to explain.

"This is it." And she laid out the overall floor plan of the island. "Our home is going to be this mountain. Katherine's convinced that she can make it look like this." Then Alexis pulled out a rendering of the mountain draped in countless plants. "It'll be hollow and we'll live inside it. This is the indoor pool, solar power panels, garden space, windmills, and dock space. As you can expect it will not come cheap," Alexis mentioned their main stumbling block.

"You want my money," Kate said flatly.

"Yours...Katherine's money, yes. If we're right, nothing physical has changed places. You've simply change bodies. Your ID and other things on you stayed didn't they? Katherine mentioned she was wearing armor, had a scimitar, and a magical backpack. Neither of you brought any of that with you. If you agree and live in her world, all of your money will stay here. Gives a new definition to _'You can't take it with you_ _._ _'_ doesn't it?"Alexis pointed out which Kate agreed with internally. "What's the cost of this?" Kate questioned.

"The island was $8.5 million. The rest of the project is expected to cost just short of $20 million overall, not including the cost of the boats, marina space in Copenhagen..." Alexis was interrupted. "Copenhagen?" Kate was a little shocked. "Copenhagen University is ranked as the 22nd best university in all of Europe and it has a veterinarian school that we are both entered into here. Kat, however, is suffering with the classes a little. You took a lot of the prerequisite classes but she didn't have the same schooling you did."

"It's another reason why we both want you to wish to change not just places but age as well. Neither of us have any idea if it will work, but until Kat came along and showed me what she could do, I wouldn't have believed in real magic either," Alexis explained.

"So her magic works in this world?" Kate asked a little shocked and watched Alexis nod. "She cast a spell and had the area plants wrap themselves around me and started choking me. She even fired a flare into the pool, so yes, her magic works here," Alexis informed her, pleasantly surprised herself.

"Kat will make an amazing veterinarian with her being a Druid. She just has to get through all the schooling first. If she has to take all the classes you have already, that will mean 4 or more years, plus 4 more years of veterinary school. Eight years added onto 37 is a lot to ask for someone who probably doesn't need the classes to be the best veterinarian here." Alexis was sure of Kat's ability and likely didn't need the classes, but to be a licensed vet meant she needed those classes.

It did tell Kate something. She had already imprisoned Katherine in her Canadian home, not that she intended to. Hell, she didn't even know it was going to happen. However it had happened and she was enjoying herself in the other world. It was true she did miss having a gas-fired range and oven. That stupid wood-fired thing was so hot in some places and damn near cold in others. She had already burnt any number of rolls, cakes, and even a pie. Just cooking a steak took work on that antique. And don't get her started on missing a washer and dryer!

Then there was their sorry excuse for a bra and panties, and where the devil were the tampons? Their idea of pads leaked so very badly. She had taken to sleeping on a towel or two so she didn't stain the bed. While the bed wasn't bad it just wasn't the one she had here.

But it did have one or more things she didn't have here. It didn't have Rick and it didn't have friends. Friends that were sharing life and death with her and trusted her.

"Two months?" Kate looked at Alexis who looked like she was praying; it was written all over her face. "I have just over $450 million in total. Your $20 million is half of what I left her with last time. I'll show you how to access all of it. Give you the addresses for the home in Kansas City, the security codes to get in. Where to find the car keys and how to open the safe that's located there. You already know about the house in Canada and the one in Fiji. The only thing I ask is that you not get rid of the house in Fiji. I was planning on retiring to that house soon," Kate informed her.

"You're going to do it?" Alexis was practically bouncing in excitement. "Yes, I'm going to do it. I..." Kate was forced to stop when Alexis leapt at her and hugged her tightly. Alexis was actually tempted to kiss her soundly since she really did look like Kat, however there was something different about them.

"All of it, including the age difference?" Alexis knew that was a big one. "You're right that we haven't brought anything physical with us but I have no idea if this idea will work. We may stay just as we are," Kate cautioned. She didn't want to steal from Katherine, but other than adding her wish, it wasn't up to her, she didn't think.

"Yes, that too." And Kate found herself being crushed by Alexis.

An hour later and Kate had seen everything about the new place and had written down everything about her accounts overseas that would allow them access to her millions. "There are a couple things I'm going to do for the next two months though and I'm going to need your help," Kate informed her. Alexis looked at her with a face that just screamed _'What?'_

"First, I want your help learning how to be a seamstress over the next two months. You wouldn't believe the things they call a bra and panties in her world. I may not be able to take my money or other things with me, but if I learn how to make a pattern, cut them out, and sew them, I can take that knowledge with me. Second, I need to learn how to cook and bake on a wood-fired stove," Kate explained which made Alexis giggle.


	37. Chapter 37

**K and K 37**

Dapper was resting his head on her leg with his eyes wide open, ready and alert for any danger that threatened his best friend. Kate couldn't help it and found herself scratching his ears and whispering his name at him. She wondered what time it was. Determining how much time had passed was difficult. Kate thought she was pretty good at it, but that was when she was above ground.

Kate nudged Rick gently. "I saw a flash of light just now. Better make that three more. I think something's happening. We should probably move," she advised and got the okay from everyone else. She dropped the rope down, gathered up Dapper and did her best to slide down and not break anything or launch Dapper over the railing.

It took only moments for the others to come down the 7 feet of rope and get ready. Kevin was first with Javi right behind him as Kevin checked the door and opened it. Inside they found the same bedroom as last time. "How did they replace everything so fast?" Jenny whispered. True they hadn't taken the actual bed itself last time, however they had taken all of the sheets, the comforter, and pillows since they were all magical. "Leave it for now, we'll come back later," Rick whispered.

Kevin was at the door finding it locked but easy enough to open. "Hang on," Rick called out softly and walked around to each person which took some time since he couldn't see anyone. He pulled out a **W** **and** and tapped everyone including the wolves. " _Stone_ _S_ _kin._ This should make it harder for anyone to hurt you if they hit you," he explained softly. It took his **W** **and** of 50 charges down to 42.

Once out in the hall it wasn't hard to hear fighting taking place somewhere below them. Given how it wasn't that loud it must be far below them.

Since they were invisible, they managed to get spread out a little just as one of the doors opened. Out came a male and female Drow with their weapons drawn and they started jogging down the hall for the stairs they had found last time. Rick didn't move quickly enough and unfortunately the female brushed up against him. She stopped immediately while calling out to her partner. Worse, one of the other doors opened and out came another pair of Drow similarly armed with their weapons out. A shout from the first female had the other pair slashing their weapons searching for invisible opponents.

That was when a **Water Elemental** suddenly showed up behind the second pair just as Kate threw her **Earth Elemental** **G** **em** on the floor and attacked the male Drow. This was followed by a **Fire Elemental** showing up on the opposite side of the first female Drow.

Rick ducked and worked his way past the male Drow and past the **Earth Elemental** to find Kate and Dapper who was growling loudly as was Storm. The Drow were fighting back against the **Elementals** just as another **Fire Elemental** showed up and trapped the second pair of Drow between two **E** **lementals** just like the first pair.

Javi started taking shots at the first female while Kevin whipped the second female when he had an opening. The fight lasted a little while but they never lost an **Elemental** and they had four dead Drow. "Open the doors and shove them inside the room," Rick called out.

It turned out the other rooms were empty so they headed for the stairs with their **Elementals** out in front. It was there they found four more Drow on the balcony casting spells down at the Cloud Giants, at least they were till the two **Fire Elementals** up front attacked them. They died only to have the **Water** and **Earth Elemental** **s** take their places while Javi fired arrows at them when he had an opening.

The **Elementals** disappeared before the Drow died as their time had run out. One of the Drow was still standing, not that he lasted long between Kevin's whip, Javi's arrows, and Kate throwing Manticore barbs at him.

"That's eight and there are five rooms, so where are the other two?" Rick questioned, as they went back out into the hallway and down to a door they hadn't yet opened only to find the room empty. "Downstairs maybe?" Kate suggested.

Lanie cast _Detect Magic_ and directed everyone to what she found magical. Soon they had eight sets of Drow armor and Drow weapons along with another five sets of magical bed linens giving them 10 full sets for the eight bedrooms that they had at home. They also gained some platinum pieces, gold pieces, and gems that weren't magical.

Looking out the window showed that the dock area still under attack. When they reached the balcony again the fight was still on down there also. "What are those?" Jenny did her best to point at one of the two non-Cloud Giants doing the fighting along side the Cloud Giants. Rick could only shake his head. "They look mechanical to me like they're robots or something," Kate mentioned as they watched.

One was winged and smaller than the other. It was leaping up into the air, occasionally soaring around the edge of the fighting taking swings at anyone it deemed an enemy. The other one was much bigger and clearly stronger as it pounded on the Derro and the really large wolf creatures.

Suddenly Jenny screamed in severe pain getting everyone to quickly turn towards her. What they saw was a large spider with the torso of a male Drow growing out of the body. It had its tail spike securely in the middle of Jenny's back. It was actually walking on the ceiling and was upside down to them. Kate twirled her staff and struck it in its engorged abdomen area. That was followed quickly by two arrows striking it just as Rick's spell hit it. Kevin cracked his whip at it over Kate's head striking it. They watched it fall to the floor and bleed out.

Right away Lanie was down on her knees checking on Jenny. "She's been poisoned and it's killing her!" she exclaimed as she watched Jenny start shriveling up. Kate handed Lanie a potion. "Here, see if you can get her to drink this," Kate told her and they watched as Lanie tried to get Jenny to drink as much of it as she could. "She's still damaged but not getting any worse," Lanie said gratefully. "Try and get her to drink this one." Kevin handed over a different potion. Before their eyes Jenny began getting better as her skin changed which had Lanie pulling out her wand and touching her with it. It healed the damage on her back nicely. "What happened?" Jenny murmured still feeling like shit.

Kevin got down on the floor beside her taking Lanie's place. He moved Jenny into his lap while he blinked back tears. "A spider thing stuck you in the back," he choked out. "It was a Drider actually. Part Drow and part spider. They allow themselves to be transformed into those... _things."_ Rick explained in revulsion. "They actually have this done to themselves?" Kate was shocked and showed it. The creature was gross! Why anyone would willingly do that to themselves escaped her. "What little I read suggested that it was a tribute to their Goddess Lolth and you remember what she looked like," Rick reminded them. "Still disgusting," Kate spat and got a few heads to nod their agreement.

Kate put her hand over her eyes as she was suddenly blinded. Katherine looked around and found Kevin supporting Jenny's head in his lap and looking ready to cry. "What happened and where am I? And where's Dapper?" Katherine questioned.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate actually found a fair amount of articles on the internet about how to use a wood fired cookstove. Apparently there were people who liked using them. Some because they had no choice because of where they lived, others because they actually liked them. There were even modern versions of them. It was here that she found one what she was dying to trade hers in for.

She read: _The firebox is on the left, the water reservoir is on the right, a baking oven is between them and the warming oven is above._

 _Some cookstove owners find the ovens difficult to bake with, because many cookstove ovens do not heat evenly, and can produce "hot spots" that make pot or pan placement critical. But there are many tricks to using a cookstove, and Kaylegian knows her share. One strategy is to place a pan of water in the oven near the firebox, which absorbs some of the excess heat from that part of the oven. Also important is the type of wood that is burned; Kaylegian uses mostly oak, a slow, clean-burning wood, and stays away from quick-burning pine._

"So that's part of my problem," Kate murmured. She just read a revelation. The issue was that most of the trees anywhere near her area were all pine. Getting nothing but oak was going to prove to be a challenge. She continued reading.

 _Provided it is in good condition and used correctly, just about any cookstove will do a fine job of baking. "The only thing I don't have the nerve to bake in the oven is angel food cake."_

 _Tettemer recommends adding at least three small sticks per load and placing them in a crisscross pattern so they flame brightly._

 _When open, the bypass damper allows the exhaust to pass directly from the firebox into the flue when starting and loading the stove. When closed, it forces the hot exhaust across the top of the oven, down the far side and then under the oven into the flue. Smoke-free operation and successful baking both depend on the correct use of the damper._

 _Books to read: American Wood Heat Cookery 1989, Woodstove Cookery at home on the range 1977._

"Maybe the others will be willing to pool some of their funds so we can get the right cook oven," Kate hoped.

She was on-line trying to find a seamstress who could teach her how to make bras and panties so she could do it from memory just as Alexis came home from school.

Kate had given what she was certain was a masterful performance when an older thin woman with still more red hair had let herself into the home. Surprised, Kate jumped up ready to pound the crap out of whomever it was. "I'm sorry Katherine, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I'm fine, honestly..." Alexis was right behind her. "Martha," Alexis whispered. "Martha. Do you plan to stay for dinner?" Kate was wondering how much time she had to question Alexis about her. "I believe I will dear. It'll give me a chance to look over this island of yours again." And Martha went upstairs to her room.

Kate gave up looking for a seamstress and quizzed Alexis about who Martha was and how she should behave. Alexis came up to her and dropped her bag on the sectional. "I got a call from our architect; she wants to know when we're going to go see the three boats she's found. I don't have any classes the day after tomorrow so we can fly there and spend the day and fly back after looking at them," Alexis informed her. "And bring my credit card with me." Kate really was a saver and not a spender or at least she used to be. That was one more thing that had been changing in her life. "Not necessarily. Dad had a lot of money so I can buy them myself. We just need to use your plane to get us there." Alexis was a coward about asking her. If she was Katherine they would just go.

"Where's my satellite phone?" Kate asked since she hadn't seen it yet. "I'll get it," Alexis told her and walked into their bedroom. That was one more thing they each had to get used to. To keep up the illusion for Martha, Kate was sleeping in the master bedroom with Alexis though they both did their best to stay on their side of the bed.

In a moment Kate had Simon getting ready to fly them to Heathrow tomorrow. Kate gave Simon the name of his hotel and the address and told him when they would be leaving. "I'll be ready ma'am, have a nice stay," he said. Then she ended the call.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"I don't trust myself to drive on the wrong side of the road," Alexis stated as they headed for the car rental area. "Not to worry. I've done it a few times, we'll be fine," Kate assured her and rented a car so they could get around to see these three boats.

The first one did indeed have a way to launch and recover a dingy and it looked like it could be used to launch a scooter with a little modification. Alexis used her card to purchase it and with a quick phone call to their architect, they had an arrangement to have it moved soon to their island.

The next one was really big and definitely old school. "Not really to my taste." Alexis was more a modern girl. "Actually I like it and given how Katherine has been living in her world I think she will too," Kate insisted. They learned everything about it including its cruising distance which was actually pretty good. "Copper water tanks?" Alexis questioned and was reminded that the boat had been refurbished so that it looked and acted like it did when it was launched. "There's no lead however. No lead in the pipes or the paint," the seller confirmed.

Alexis handed over her credit card again and made another phone call to the architect to have this boat moved also. The next day they were going to look at a boat that might work for their mobile veterinarian hospital. "This one sounds old too," Alexis moaned a little to Kate while they ate dinner in a local pub. "Then the last one will just have to be modern and all yours," Kate told her. "We'll do some research when we get to the hotel," Kate offered.

Unlike the other trips they had a two bedroom hotel suite that really wasn't as nice as any of the others. Alexis didn't want any distractions or to be challenged to keep her hands to herself. Kate and Katherine looked exactly alike, naturally. However Kate was just a little different and Alexis realized that if she had met Kate instead of Katherine, she wouldn't be in love.

The next day's boat showed that it needed a lot of work. She was 80 feet long, a twin screw motor schooner, built and designed to Loyds 100A1, by Chanters Dubigeon, Chantey, Nantes, France in 1925. She had a crew cabin for 4 and a captain's cabin, as well as galley, dining and living areas. She came with twin Gardner 6LXB six cylinder diesel engines that needed pipes installed.

She was the perfect size and with a little work would fit having a reception area, 2 exam rooms and a back room that would have a wall of kennels, an x-ray machine, storage, and 2 operating tables. "We'll take it," Alexis announced and handed over her credit card once more, not believing her luck with these prices. She was sure they would have to spend twice this amount. She had to buy them before someone else found them and offered more for them, not knowing her dad's father, Jackson Hunt, had already bought all three for her and was selling them to her for half price.

It took a little money under the table for the sellers to play along with his scheme, or else.

They hadn't found anything last night after going to their hotel. Right now they were in yet another pub eating lunch while Kate did another search using her laptop. "Big enough to transport and launch a scooter," Kate mumbled to herself. Alexis smiled watching Kate help her.

"You like Dad," Alexis said out of the blue. She wanted some information about the other Richard Castle. That got Kate's head out of her laptop. "What? Oh, Rick? Yes, I love him with all my heart. Living in that world has allowed me to see and live a life that I don't have here. Call it a second chance if you wish. What would my life be like with different choices. I'm still not sure how he got into my closed off heart," Kate chuckled at the change in her. "He's knowledgeable and focused. Did you know he can remember every book he's ever read, word for word?" Kate was still amazed at that.

"Dad's birthday is coming up; it's April 1st," Alexis informed her. "Except you'll still be here," Alexis cringed then apologized for that. "Maybe you can celebrate after the fact?" Alexis suggested. "Find him a book that he hasn't read? That might be a challenge since I don't know what he has read." Kate had her work cut out for her and she knew it.

"Do you have a plan before Kat uses the next coin?" Alexis was curious about that too, and watched Kate shake her head. "Dad was a really good father, the best actually. All he did was want to make me happy. ... You're 24 in that world, you could give him at least one child if you want. Provided you want children," Alexis quickly backed off.

"We haven't even talked about getting married though we _are_ sharing a room. We have a house in a small town on top of a mountain. Four floors with a roof deck and 3 levels of basement. We have protection from enemies, these _things_ that clean the place and I even have one that works downstairs in the walk-in cooler/freezer."

"I've gotten used to riding a horse instead of driving a car. Even being here now feels weird somehow. I mean I grew up here and yet I feel out of place. However I do miss electricity. God what I wouldn't give for a washer and dryer. Hell even a dishwasher." Kate was whining and she knew it, but there were just some things that got to her. She lowered her voice and spoke in a whisper, "They don't even have tampons and their idea of a pad is anything but." Alexis was shocked. She was going to have to talk with Katherine when she got back. "We can look those up too. You want to learn how to make bras and panties, why not learn what it takes to make those items too?" Alexis suggested and watched a light bulb go on over Kate's head.

The flight home was simple enough and took almost no time at all or so it seemed. "You're back!" Martha was happy to see them and hugged both of them, noticing that she didn't get the hug she was expecting from Katherine, but she chose to remain silent about it. "How was your boat shopping?" Martha inquired.

"It was great! We got three of the four we need and you wouldn't believe the prices of them. We got a steal Grams, a real steal!" Alexis was elated. They were one step closer. "She's correct, I didn't expect prices that low. They're obviously worth more. I'm going to go do some research, call me when dinner's ready or if you want to eat out." Kate unpacked her laptop and retreated to Alexis's study.

"ALEXIS! How about this one?" Kate thought she had something and Alexis had to turn everything down on the stove before hurrying to the study. "It's a 2005 Director Commuter Yacht. It's 57 feet long and has twin MAN engines at 1300 HP. The cockpit is enclosed in case it's raining and has a complete Raymarine electronics package. 8 Kw generator, a bow thruster to help you get into tight spots. 70 gallons of fresh water, 670 gallons of fuel, 30 gallon holding tank."

"I don't see a hoist to help you move a scooter but it looks like it has room to add one. Just remove this bench seat here and store your scooter at the end of the enclosed cockpit. It has a mini kitchen and a head. It even has a bed far forward." Kate liked it.

"You want to transport a scooter so you're going to need a bigger boat than just a little putt putt," Kate pointed out. Alexis watched as the pictures came up. "$1.2 million!? Seriously? And it's in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We would have to ship it some how." Alexis shook her head rejecting it and went back to the kitchen.

Kate didn't see the problem, she had $450 million plus. Still she went back to searching again.

Kate was dying here as she kept searching. Even a modern 62 footer barely had any back deck to store a scooter on, let alone get it on and off. The new stuff was all about showing off what they could present INSIDE. State rooms, with full kitchens, beautiful bedrooms with full bath rooms and packed with power. All of it inside. "DINNER!" Alexis announced. So she shut down her laptop and went to give Alexis the bad news.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Katherine?" Rick guessed based on her reaction and watched her nod. "Your timing sucks a little bit this time," he commented just as another Drider suddenly showed up out of nowhere trying to hit Javi with both of its swords.

Everyone but Jenny and Kevin moved swiftly. Javi got in a single hit as did Lanie. Rick had yet to cast that many spells; he even had a new one so he used it. _Lightening Bolt_ It looked just like it sounded. A wicked-looking, crackling bolt of lightning that looked like it would never hit the Drider that had caught them off guard, but yet it did. The damage had the Drider losing traction and falling all the way down to the ground floor.

"Get ready in case there are more," Rick warned them. Katherine cruised the area since she didn't have her armor on or even have her sword. Thankfully she did have some skill with the quarterstaff she had in hand. Now just where the hell was Dapper?


	38. Chapter 38

**K and K 38**

Kate had called Alexis over to the laptop yet again to see what she had found. "How about this one?" Kate tapped the screen and looked up at her and saw the face she was making. "It only looks old school," Kate cajoled. "Try to open your mind. It's a brand new state of the art copy using modern materials and modern construction methods. It's a custom build by Van Dam Custom Boats. It's 38 feet in length, has a draft of only 24 inches. It has twin 300 HP turbo diesels, propeller tunnels and even has a bow thruster for easy docking. It also has a mini kitchen below."

"And look at the price." Kate was grinning, since even to her this was a steal. It also had Alexis smiling. "Where is it?" Alexis asked. "Well, let's see, it is located in…Boynce City, Michigan." Kate deflated knowing Alexis was going to shoot this one down too and send her back to square one again.

"Fine, we'll have it shipped. I don't need it for another 2 years or more anyway," Alexis shrugged which shocked Kate. Alexis seemed so set on getting something modern, inexpensive, and close to Copenhagen. This was new and it meant she could finally stop looking for a boat and get back to looking for what she wanted.

"It doesn't have a way to get the scooter on and off," Alexis argued. She wasn't quite done yet. "You have 2 years to figure that out. When are your next two days off and where's the satellite phone?" They were going shopping again only this time in Michigan.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis was arriving home alone after coming back from Michigan and ordering her own personal boat to be built. He had agreed to work on a way to add a crane to the deck to get her scooter on and off. He had also agreed to come up with a way to enclose the cockpit area and add heat. While he was thinking of using a hard top and glass on three sides, he was thinking fabric with a zipper like closure leading onto the back deck. Since it was a brand new boat she was going to name it what she wanted. All of the others came with names already since they were buying used. Refurbished used, but still used.

They had gone their separate ways at the airport since Kate had a sewing lesson in a few hours on how to make modern bras and panties by hand. "I'm going to come back with band-aids on all my fingers," Kate was sure of it. She figured she just had to think of it as being another security system with tiny wires.

"Did you get your boat dear?" Martha walked down the stairs after hearing the front door. "I did actually. He's going to build it over the next two years exactly to my specifications. The architect's going to search for someone who can ship it from Michigan to Copenhagen when it's finished," Alexis informed her.

"And where is Katherine?" Martha didn't see her. "She had a class she wanted to take; she'll be home later."

"Are you two getting along dear? Katherine seems...different somehow." _Distant_ was the word Martha was thinking about. "We're fine Grams. Kat's just having a difficult time with her classes and is thinking about skipping this semester to take a few basic courses to see if that would help next semester," Alexis told her a white lie since it was more likely to be 4 years of classes hopefully as a 24-year-old instead of 37. "Just give her some time."

"If you're sure dear. I have a class tonight that might last well into the night depending on how it goes, so don't wait up for me." Martha was convinced that one or maybe two of her students were going to need a more work than she first thought.

"Take care Grams. I love you." Alexis couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Since she had the time she decided to get a head start on tomorrow's classes and started for the stairs forgetting that her room was downstairs now. With Katherine gone for 2 months it only made her heart hurt a little more.

As she thought about it, she decided maybe moving was a good idea after all. The loft had way too many memories. Good memories naturally, but she still expected to see her father come out of the study and now she was sleeping in his bedroom which she had yet to make her own.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They stayed on the balcony for quite a while and listened to the sound of fighting die down. "How do you feel babe?" Kevin looked down into Jenny's eyes. She lifted up a hand to wipe away the tears on one side of his face. "I feel fine, truly. But can we get out of here now?"

"We should search all of the rooms on this level again in case someone's trying to hide. Not that it sounds like something a Drow would do, but we might have missed something," Rick said. They went into each room yet again and stripped the place down leaving it trashed. "I guess we need to find Guri," Rick remarked after they found nothing of interest to take.

"Maybe," Katherine said hesitantly as she looked at the ceiling back at the grand circular staircase. "You said while we were searching those rooms that this floor had an illusion protecting it from being found."

"Right." Rick didn't see the point, they had found it and they were here. "Then tell me about these stairs and the wall that don't look like the ceiling does," Katherine asked. It was enough of a question that Kevin began looking at the walls and borrowed Katherine's **S** **taff** with which to check the ceiling. They watched Kevin take out a piece of chalk, mark the end of the **S** **taff** then hit the wall with it leaving behind a white mark. He did the same with the ceiling. Katherine was smiling while the others just stared at the spot with no mark.

He started checking out the walls and stairs. "Don't just stand there, look for a way to get up there. If there's something up there, there has to be a way up," Kevin said exasperatedly and glared at them till they all got busy.

They weren't sure which one of them found it, but they watched the stairs spin and extend up to the ceiling that was still closed. Kevin went up the stairs to search the ceiling. It took him a moment but they all saw it open into a space above.

"Hold up everyone." And Rick pulled out his two **W** **ands** and tapped everyone with each, almost using up his **Wand of Invisibility** while the other one gave everyone **Stone** **S** **kin** again.

Kevin went first and found the space dark so he used his ability to see in the dark. What they found wasn't what they were expecting. The room was good sized as far as attic spaces went, but this one was filled with mirrors and each one showed a different scene. "Javi, take Katherine and Dapper and go downstairs. Find Guri and get her up here. This looks big, really big," Rick told them. "On it, meet me at the entrance?" Javi called out and the three went down all the stairs to the ground floor to search for Guri.

"What are we looking at?" Jenny had never seen anything like it. "I don't think they're pictures; see the flags flapping in the distance on one of them and the actual heavy fog rising in another?" Rick asked them. "So not pictures," Jenny stated not certain she believed him. "Not pictures," Rick confirmed. What he didn't see was Jenny actually trying to touch the scene that was frozen over in what looked like a tunnel. Her arm went inside the space and she quickly pulled it back out. "Definitely not pictures," Jenny stated somewhat shaken, since her arm was now really cold.

"Guys, over here," Lanie called and quickly realized her error. "Sorry, third mirror to the right of the entrance," she corrected her mistake and soon felt someone on either side of her.

"Watch the flags, just watch," Lanie urged them. "Is that? ...It looks like an army," Kevin stated disbelieving. "Because it is," Rick said firmly. As they watched the flags were getting closer and closer to a mountain when they suddenly saw what looked like tiny rocks come flying out of the mountain. It was a wave of rocks followed by another wave of rocks that actually looked like it was doing damage to the army. Jenny squealed and Lanie slapped a hand over her mouth as what was surely a very large Red Dragon came swooping in and breathed a line of fire on the mountain. The response was another wave of rocks.

"It looks like it's a war," Rick said. "I believe you are correct," a new voice suddenly announced as heads turned and saw Guri the Royal Elf standing there. "You have found something amazing!" Guri was impressed and yet they could feel her fear flowing into the room.

They watched her pull out a gem they have seen before. "Father, drop what you are doing. You need to see this," she told him then placed the gem back inside her armor. In only a moment a flash of light with the crackle of lightning displayed a handsome and regal looking male Elf with bluish skin much like Guri's.

They watched him spin in place taking in everything. "Is this what I think it is Father?" Guri inquired. "It is a Nexus daughter, a Nexus of Lolth." What they didn't know was if he was impressed or scared, since it sounded like both. He in turn pulled out a gem and instantly there were 5 regal looking Elves much like Guri and Yuri. "It would appear our human friends have found a Nexus of Lolth. I want all of these mirrors home in a secure location. Once they are secure we will decide what to do with them," he informed the new arrivals.

"Humans, you are with me. See to this room daughter, it is important." He was putting a lot of faith in his daughter as well as a lot of trouble. He waited till all of the invisible humans and wolves were around him when suddenly they found themselves just outside their home.

"Your payment will be here within a week for your involvement. Relax, go shopping because I believe I will be calling on your help once again since you have proven yourselves to be faithful and trustful," he told them then was gone in a bolt of lightning.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm taking a shower. Maybe even a bath," Lanie announced. "Me too, sister," Katherine added. "I'll go pay the boys," Jenny offered and headed to the smithy to find the smith's two sons. "Relax bro, I'm sure she meant gold pieces," Javi slapped Kevin's back since the look on his face said something else. "Yeah, but...but," he stammered. Lanie smacked him. "Don't go there Kev; if you love her give her the benefit of the doubt." Then she went inside and up the stairs after saying the code word to get past all of the golems that were there to protect them. Kevin followed her inside saying the same word.

"So this is where you and Kate live." Katherine looked it over from the outside and was impressed. It was a lot better than her parents' home where she grew up. "I'll show you around. You need to use this word each time you enter or you'll be attacked," Rick cautioned her and gave her the tour.

"I don't cook much," Katherine told him. "Not that I can't cook for myself but I don't cook." Katherine didn't trust what little she knew. Her parents had done the cooking and she had been using the cook books Kate had. "We'll manage," Rick hoped since no one else had even tried.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was almost 2 weeks later and they were back in Silverymoon to do some shopping after checking into their three rooms in their favorite inn which also happened to be the most expensive inn in the city. "I'll meet you across this bridge since it can't be hard to find. I have something I want to do first," Katherine informed them.

They had gotten their share of the assault and while it wasn't what they were hoping for, it was what they were expecting. However they had things to sell to compensate for the difference. "We'll be waiting," Rick assured her not wanting her to get lost or miss out. They all noticed that Katherine was wearing her armor and carrying her scimitar again.

After asking just a couple of people she was directed to the most revered temple in the city, Ever Dusk Hall. "How may I assist you sister?" a young male elf asked as he approached her. "I need some serious advice on something I want to try. Is your Priestess available for consultation?" Katherine asked.

"I can ask; may I give her your name?" he inquired. "I'm Katherine Beckett, granddaughter of Alexis Beckett." Katherine had learned that her last name seemed to have great influence; she was hoping it would here.

"Please wait here. Drink if you wish, look around. Just don't go too far," he told her and departed. He left her in a main room with several small waterfalls and a number of doors all the way around. They opened and closed frequently as she watched Elves come and go, suggesting that those rooms were private prayer rooms.

"Please follow me." He was back and had Katherine follow him through a side room only to go through yet another. He stopped at a door, knocked, then opened it. "Katherine Beckett," he announced and gestured for her to enter. Katherine went inside and saw a pleasant room with a lit fireplace. The room itself was a little warm for her, but not overly so. She found an elderly female Elf sitting in what looked to be a comfortable high back chair near the fireplace.

"Please sit child. I apologize for the temperature but when you reach my age you get cold easily." She had been smiling since Katherine entered. "My grandmother liked to keep her house warm, too. It's fine." She was hoping not to spend all day here anyway.

"Granddaughter of Alexis Beckett. You are even wearing your grandmother's armor. Alexis was a respected member of the council even given her young age. I felt her passing, I am sorry for your loss. I am gratified that her teachings have been passed on to her family. How is your family?" She didn't know what had happened.

"My parents and our entire village were all killed by rampaging orcs as I watched while trapped up on a mountain chasing a goat," Katherine told her. She saw the Elf's face fall for a moment and got a glimpse of just how old she really was.

"The last of the Becketts then." She looked for a moment like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, however she shrugged it off and sat up straight. "How may I help you child?" Katherine then shared with her about her life of late while she sat silently listening.

"And what is you want?" She didn't have the power to prevent the changes. "I've met someone who holds my heart and I want to stay with her. However her heart pains her mightily because her father has been killed and I was hoping you could come up with an option for me to help her."

"I know I'm a Druid and my grams told me that a powerful Druid could bring back a dead person but only if they had died recently. Alexis's father has been gone months now and I'm nowhere near powerful enough. Plus I believe that nothing physical can go with me, only what I know," Katherine told her.

The Elf smiled softly. "Another Alexis. ...Come back tomorrow and I'll have something for you. I need to spend time at prayer and cast a few spells. I will inform you what I have found out. You have no control over when the next change will happen?" she inquired and watched Katherine shake her head. Katherine sighed. "I did ask her for 2 months of which almost 2 weeks has already passed. She did adhere to my wish and not send me back to Canada, plus I have Alexis to help me get those 2 months," Katherine informed her.

"Then we have time. Come back tomorrow child and I will have something for you," she told Katherine. Since it sounded like the meeting was over Katherine stood up and held one of her hands before leaving. Just outside her door she found the same young male Elf waiting for her.

"Thank you for coming, it has been a pleasure to meet a Beckett," he said to her at the entrance and directed her to the best path to reach the bridge quickly.

Katherine found them waiting just this side of a ...bridge? It was more of a rainbow that people and carts were crossing. "I think that's the look on my face every time I see it," a smiling Jenny remarked.

They moved on to offer what they had to sell and looked to buy things for next time. They sold the proven to be almost useless **Summon Monster Wands** and found themselves with 19,785 gold pieces per person to spend.

Five thousand gold pieces per person later and they had 2 **Elemental Gems** each since they had proven to be valuable so far.

Rick - **Wan** **d** **of Invisibility** (4,500 gold pieces, **Wand of Knock** , 4,500 gold pieces – will force open any locked chest or door, **Robe of** **U** **seful** **I** **tems** , 7,000 gold pieces – comes with 2 daggers, 2 lanterns, 2 mirrors, 2 10 foot poles, 2-50 feet of hemp rope, 2 large sacks, 1 mule with saddle bags, 1 10ft x 10ft x 10ft open pit, 1 **S** **croll of** **W** **ater** **B** **reathing** , 1 silver coffer worth 500 gold pieces, 1 rowboat 12 feet long, 1 **S** **croll of Hold Monster** , 1 pair of war dogs, 1 portable ram, 1 **Potion of Cure Serious Wounds** , 10 gems worth 100 gold pieces each, 1 **S** **croll of Hold Person.** ) Each was a simple patch on the inside of the robes that is pulled and dropped on the floor or held in the hand. Each patch had a symbol on it that gave you a hint of what it was. Once pulled it would turn into that object never to be turned back into a patch again.

Kevin - 1 **P** **otion of Fly** at 750 gold pieces, 2 **P** **otions of Cure Moderate Wounds** at 600 gold pieces total, _See Invisibility_ _S_ _pell_ with _Permanency_ _S_ _pell_ at 10,125 gold pieces, _Arcane Sight_ _S_ _pell_ with _Permanency_ _S_ _pell_ at 10,375 gold pieces which allowed the user to see any Magical items within 120 feet.

Jenny - **Gem of Brightness** , 13,000 gold pieces with 50 charges, 1 **P** **otion Neutralize Poison** at 750 gold pieces, 1 **P** **otion of Remove Curse** at 750 gold pieces, 1 **P** **otion of Remove Disease** at 750 gold pieces 2 **P** **otions of Cure Moderate Wounds** at 600 gold pieces total.

Lanie - 3 **P** **otions of Cure Moderate Wounds** at 900 gold pieces total, 2 **P** **otions of Lesser Restoration** at 600 gold pieces total, **Phylactery of Undead Turning** at 10,000 gold pieces that effectively increased her own ability by 1.5 times. "WHAT!? I hate the sound of the damn things. You can thank me later," Lanie said, staunchly defending her purchase.

Katherine/Kate - 2 **P** **otions of Cure Moderate Wounds** at 600 gold pieces total, 1 **P** **otion** **of** **W** **ater** **B** **reathing** at 750 gold pieces, (Katherine chose to sell the **Ring of Blinking** that Rick tells her Kate has never used, along with her **Ring of Chameleon Power** that got her 12,700 gold pieces. That plus the other **R** **ing** got her 27,000 gold pieces that gave her an additional 39,700 gold pieces.) **Monk's Tattoo** at 26,500 gold pieces did what a **Monk's Belt** could do and was stackable with the **B** **elt** , effectively doubling what it could do except the **Tattoo** couldn't be stolen. **Ring of Invisibility** at 20,000 gold pieces. _Magic Fang-Greater_ _S_ _pell_ with _Permanency_ _S_ _pell_ for Dapper that would easily double his ability to bite and do damage to someone. It left her with 2,610 gold pieces plus what she already had and left it for Kate to spend.

Javi - _Magic Fang-Greater_ _S_ _pell_ with _Permanency_ _S_ _pell_ for Storm at 10,375 gold pieces, 3 **Arrows of Slaying-Giant, Dragon, and Magical Beasts** at 6,675 gold pieces total.

In addition they arranged for a delivery of horse and dog feed which everyone contributed to the purchase. They also picked up some perishable food items. While they were shopping they learned of one thing that had their attention, its only problem was that it would cost them 20,000 gold pieces. Money they no longer had so it would just have to wait. "We still have our backpacks and they have served us well so far," Rick tried to counter the dismay they all felt. It would have been only 3,400 gold pieces per person to get it and they just didn't have that kind of money anymore, or at least most of them didn't.

 **Portable Hole** at 20,000 gold pieces. Think of it as a backpack only it was 10 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet inside. When not in use it could just be folded up into a small piece of fabric and stuffed it into a pocket.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Please sit down child." She offered Katherine the same chair. "You have presented me with a challenge and I've had to cast a few spells that I haven't had to cast in years," she said and was stopped by Katherine. "I didn't mean to cause you trouble. It was just an idea and if it can't work or stand a chance of working..." This time Katherine was interrupted.

"Slow down child. I said it was a challenge and it has given me a chance to speak with people I thought I might never get to again." She was smiling so Katherine took that as a good sign. "And what did you find out?" What she would say would either give great joy to Alexis or leave Katherine dejected.


	39. Chapter 39

**K and K 39**

"My talk, well really my questions and Alexis's answers have presented us with an idea that might work," she told her. What she said had Katherine sitting forward. "You talked to my grandmother? How is that even possible?" She was dead, had been dead for a while now.

"Just because she is dead does not prevent me from talking with her. Though to be accurate I ask questions and she answers them, so it is not really a conversation," she explained though she still had Katherine's attention. "I could hear in the tone of her voice that she misses you. You seem to have made a great impression on her. It would be good to see a Beckett on the Druid Council again, however, if this works that will not happen. At least not in my world." Looking at her face, Katherine could see it saddened her.

"Alexis has talked with her god, Obad-Hai, which happens to be your god and I have had a short conversation with mine; Corellon Larethian is his name. Combined we have never heard of the item your other self has found and started using. As far as we mere mortals understand it, it is obviously an artifact with tremendous power. It would need to be in order to be able to find two Katherine's and have them travel across planes. Most artifacts that we know of are a single item and not broken up into pieces like yours is. This may be good for you or bad, there is no way to tell. However we do agree that when the magical coins are used up you will stop trading places."

"It was suggested that it was possible that the artifact would change forms and display its power all over again and not simply stop working. If you were to find it once more you might be able to continue changing places. As for your request to change ages, we are of the opinion that it sounds possible. Obviously you will both have to wish it the last time each of you use it," she paused to allow Katherine to digest all that.

"Will it work?" Katherine meant her plan. "Bringing this Richard Castle back to life in his world is possible; you just need access to a spell powerful enough to accomplish it. Since nothing physical travels with you this has presented us with a challenge," she sighed. It was not going to be the clear cut answer Katherine was likely hoping for.

"We have a plan and it all depends on you." She reached across to a small table that had a scroll case sitting on it. "You will need this." She handed it to Katherine. "You will also need this." And she passed a small flat box across to her. "The scroll inside has a _True Resurrection_ _S_ _pell_ inscribed on it. Simply read it and the deceased person you wish to live again will be brought back as if nothing has ever happened from this person's perspective," she informed Katherine. "But I can't take this with me." Katherine's face showed turmoil and her belief that her dream was crushed.

"I am aware of that child, however if you will let me finish..." She chastised her for not having enough patience, something she anticipated dealing with someone so young, and was gratified to see the look of apology on her face. "In the box are ink, a pen, and blank sheets for you to use. You still have 1-1/2 months in this world. Our combined thought is that if you transcribe this scroll from memory and use it in the other world, it just might work. The ink and blank sheets are for you to practice making a copy of the scroll till you can reproduce it in your sleep. Once you have every line exactly as shown on this original you should be able to use it in the other world to bring back that world's Richard Castle."

"Understand child, this will not be easy. According to Alexis you do not or did not yet have the skill to create magical scrolls. I have, however, heard that you, or more accurately the other you, just returned from an adventure. You may find that you can now select this skill and I suggest you do so come next morning when you pray for your spells for the day."

"Your ability to do this and create an exact copy may just work but the spell you will be trying to duplicate is a Clerical spell while you are a Druid, so you are already at a disadvantage. There is one more thing," she began to warn Katherine who almost collapsed in her chair. As if doing the impossible wasn't enough, there was more!?

"The spell in our world requires the use of diamonds worth 25,000 gold pieces. What none of us know is how much 25,000 gold pieces are worth in this other world. It is possible that it will require a very large amount of money in diamonds. You will just have to make your best estimation at just how much that is. When the spell fails you will have to determine if it is because you made an error in your creation of the scroll, or if it is because you have too few diamonds," she warned her.

Katherine clutched the scroll case to her chest as though it was the most cherished item she had ever owned. "I'll do my very best and practice as much as I can," she promised fervently. "There's so much I need to do before I leave. I still need to decide what to do with Dapper." It was going to break her heart she just knew it, but it wasn't fair to him to keep him enslaved to Kate instead of him being her trusted and faithful companion. "I wish I'd gotten a chance to speak with Gran one last time." Katherine blinked back tears. She was beginning to be overwhelmed.

It was just the comment the elder Elf had been hoping for. "Come with me child." She struggled to get up then shuffled across the floor, shaking off Katherine's hand. "Elves live longer than humans and while even to my race I am old, I am not _that_ old yet." Her determination to live made Katherine smile.

She walked Katherine to a small room just next door and there she found paintings hanging on the wall of Elves, with one in particular. "Have a seat child." She waited till Katherine sat down with her new items on the table. "When you are ready, place both hands on the table. You will be allowed 3 questions. I suggest you use them wisely when you talk to your grandmother." She immediately started casting a spell and then left the room when she finished.

Katherine placed both hands on the table. She felt different immediately and began to see a rough shape of someone sitting across from her. It never did become clearer but she knew who it was. Tears started to roll down her face. She knew what she wanted to ask, but asking her how she was doing would be a waste of one of her questions and she could just hear her gran chastising her for doing that. "Hi Gran, it's me. Tell me, have you seen my parents; are they doing well?" First question.

"Your parents are messengers of their god Obad-Hai and they are doing well young Katie," was the answer she got back. It made her weep as though her heart was breaking. It had been such a long time since she had heard her grandmother call her Katie. She missed her terribly. It took her some time to be able to ask her next question, if it really was a question.

"I'm soon going to be trapped on another world Gran. I've found someone who says she loves me and I love her with all my heart. I'm really sorry I'll never make it onto the Druid Council like you wished for me." She had let her grandmother down, she just knew it.

"You are a Druid wherever you are young Katie, just believe in yourself," was the response she got. Katherine wasn't sure just what to make of it though. She knew she was still a Druid even in the other world. She could pray, receive her spells, and cast them just like she could in this world. Did that mean she could be a one person Druid Council? Did it mean there were other Druids in that world? WAIT! She had said _YOUNG_ Katie, and she had never called her that before. Was that a suggestion of what was to come?

' _Last question, last question_ _!_ _'_ She wondered what to ask, what to say. "Please say goodbye to my parents for me. I really miss them and wish I could have done something. Maybe if I was as powerful as you were I could have saved them." All she had was Alexis though she was beginning to really like Martha; she really _was_ unique.

"You would have died too, Katie, had you been there. You will get your own chance to say goodbye to Jim and Jo, just give it time," was the final reply. She held her face in her hands as she cried uncontrollably and watched as the partial vision that must have been her grandmother disappeared. "Bye Gran," Katherine barely got out before she was completely gone. After she disappeared Katherine broke down and wept like she hadn't done for anyone to date. Her life, it seemed, hadn't allowed her the time to truly grieve her losses.

Katherine came out of the room still wiping away her tears only to find the elder Elf sitting on a chair that she didn't remember being there with the very same young male Elf standing next to her. "This nice young man will escort you back to your friends and make sure you get there safely. I will pray that you succeed in your quest. Listen to your grandmother, she was a wise woman." She got to her feet slowly and shuffled back to her room.

"Thank you for everything! I'll never be able to repay you for what you have done." What she had just done, let alone the scroll that she had, was so very, very special. "Simply be the best Beckett you can be child, that is enough for me." The elder Elf did not ask her about her questions, she already knew enough anyway. Plus Katherine's tears told her a lot.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine wasn't certain how she got there but she was just inside the Inn where they were staying and her friends were staring at her. "It was a pleasure meeting you," her young Elven escort told her then left her with her friends. Katherine had spent the trip in the clouds. She had gotten to speak to her dead grandmother; she had learned a few things that she was still processing. Even more was the scroll case and small box that she was clutching to her chest. "Can we go home now?" she asked them. "I have a lot of work to do before I leave again."

They were all packed up and on the road just an hour later for the roughly 3 to 4 day trip home up the mountain. "Are you alright? You've been very quiet," Rick inquired one night still on the road home. "Fine, I suppose, but I have a question or maybe more than one. We're down to just 2 coins after Kate uses the next one to switch us again. ...I've found someone who holds my heart. I've left Kate a message telling her that I want to stay in that world when she uses the last coin," Katherine told him and watched his face change and change again.

"My question to you is do you want her, the other me, to stay here? Do you love her?" she asked watching him intently. "It'll be permanent, no more changing places?" Rick wanted to be certain and watched Katherine nod. "Yes, I love her. I know she's you, I mean she looks like you but yes, I love Kate," he confirmed.

Katherine nodded. "In this world I'm 24 while you've told me you'll be 31 soon. I've asked Kate to give me 2 months here before we change places. But there's one more thing. In her world she's 37 and I want those 13 years of life back. So when I come here next I'll have asked for us not to just change places but to change ages. If she agrees and wishes the same, she'll be 37 here instead of 24," Katherine said and watched the shock play across his face.

"Permanently here and 37 years old?" Rick questioned and watched Katherine nod. "I've told her that I'll wait a year or a little more before I change places again. After I leave this time you and she will have one year with her at 24 years old if this works," Katherine apprised him.

Rick was trying to think this through. "One year," he whispered. "One year give or take a few weeks. I want my life back Rick. It doesn't strike me as fair to be trapped on another world missing 13 years of my life while Kate gets 13 years of her life back to relive. This is a compromise that I'm willing to do. One more year and I'll be 25 instead of 24 if this works," she told him. "Thirty-seven or thirty-eight really, after one more year. Kate will be just a few short years older than you instead of younger than you," Katherine tried to reason with him for his support of her plan. Rick opened his mouth to say something and then simply snapped it closed again and kept his thoughts to himself.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine had secluded herself in what was the library on the second floor while she did her best to copy the scroll. After she completed each one she handed it over to Rick, or Lanie, or anyone else who wanted to look at it and compare it to the original.

The first one came back with marks all over it causing her to curse and begin copying the next one. Even she was starting to throw away sheet after sheet when she saw her own mistakes. She couldn't just copy it, she had to memorize each and every line, every little tick here or dot there.

The elder Elf had been correct though. The next morning Katherine just knew how to make a magical scroll, a Druid scroll, but a magical scroll none the less. She was hoping that it helped. She even had access to another set of spells that felt more powerful than the others she knew. She was getting stronger, just not nearly as strong as her grandmother yet.

Day after day she worked. It took her almost 3 days to finish each scroll. She was trying to burn each and every line into her brain while she copied everything she saw on it.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was weeks later and Katherine was looking at her latest try that had still come back with marks on it, but the number was getting less and less each time. Rick had handed it to her. "How long have I been here?" She had lost track of time while she worked. She ate, slept, and worked on copying her scroll; that was her life. "One week short of 2 months," he replied. She was running out of time and she was still screwing up! "This has to work, it just has to." Katherine crumpled up the copy with their marks on it. "What are you trying to do? Even Lanie doesn't recognize the spell and I certainly don't," he finally said to her.

"I'm trying to bring you back to life!" Katherine yelled. "Sorry! I'm sorry... In the other world you're dead, have been dead for months and your daughter is suffering from your death. I want to give her father back to her because I love her," Katherine slumped over in failure.

Astonished, Rick questioned, "I have a daughter?" and watched Katherine nod gently. "Her name is Alexis, the same as my grandmother. She's 22 years old and she's so beautiful and in so much pain." Watching Alexis's pain was causing her pain. "She's told me a lot about you in that world. There you're a writer and a successful one, too. I saw two of your books but I haven't had much time to read. But they're quite popular, she told me. She sings your praises as a father. In her eyes you've been the best father even though you had to raise her all alone. Her mother abandoned both of you when she was just a baby," Katherine told him.

"I have a daughter...tell me about her?" Rick pulled out another chair and sat down. Katherine smiled. "Well, she's got chin length, bright red hair and blue eyes like yours. She's slender and about 6 inches shorter than me. She's so very smart and so grown up for her age. She's quick witted and determined about everything. Stubborn and maybe just a little pigheaded, but she's dedicated to succeeding. She's told me about the times when you taught her lessons that she didn't know she was learning."

"You two were close, really close. Even with your money you didn't let it go to her head though you would spend it when you felt the need. She found you had already gotten her a birthday present months ago, before you were killed. I've missed her birthday being here instead of there," Katherine said sadly. "I was killed?" Rick asked in disbelief. Katherine nodded. "Something about evil people who kill themselves by blowing themselves up with the goal of killing as many innocent people as they can in the blast," she said.

"And you want to live there?" he asked in absolute horror. "You were just in a battle. My parents and entire village were killed by rampaging Orcs. Someone made those Gorgons with the intention of turning people into stone. Innocent people," she countered trying to show him that even this world wasn't perfect. "Point taken," he admitted.

' _He had a daughter and raised her all by himself!'_ Rick was still digesting that, and Kate would only be young for another year or just over if it worked. He didn't blame Katherine for wanting her 13 years of life back. It was only fair. Just what did he do during that one year? Thirty-eight wasn't that old but maybe too old just as easily.

"You better get back to work; you've got maybe another 2 attempts before you change places," he advised her. "So I write books not just read books. Sounds fitting." And Rick stood as did Katherine.

"I have to say goodbye to Dapper. He's mine, not Kate's. I need to be fair to him and release him from service to me," Katherine told him. "Do you have to? I think even Kate's gotten used to him. He and Storm are friends, too. We might even end up with pups soon if he stays," Rick remarked. "I can give him an option to stay; it's just that he won't be bound to anyone here. It'll be up to him I guess." Katherine was glad he was wanted, but still this was going to hurt.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was crying and her lower lip quivered as Dapper licked her hand after she had officially released him. "I love you Dapper and I'm going to miss you, but you're wanted here. You can stay. You have a home and a lady friend. They'll take good care of you." She scratched his ears and kissed his fur. "Go on, it's your choice," Katherine offered it all to him. She watched him walk over to Storm and lay down next to her which made Katherine smile. He had made his choice and she was happy for him. "Be a good boy. I've given you some help. I'll ask them to ask Kate to not neglect you and give you some benefits, too." Katherine wiped her tears away and went back upstairs to start work on her next scroll.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was just waking up in one of the spare rooms of this amazing house Kate was living in. It had felt really wrong to sleep in the same bed as Rick. Other than his being a nice guy she didn't have any interest in him. She was missing Alexis and was thinking about finishing things for herself since she really needed someone's hands.

Her last two copies finally had come back with no marks on them and she had spent the last couple of days doing her best to burn it into her mind. She knew she was already on borrowed time. Kate was really being generous giving her more time here.

She couldn't get back to sleep with so many thoughts whirling through her head so she walked over to the window and opened the inside and outside shutters to look out at the town below. It was still night out though there was a hint that the sun was coming up soon.

They hadn't seen Guri since that one day and they as a group had spent it resting. There was talk about being asked to go back into the mountain to find out what else was down there. After all, it was a good sized mountain range.

Dapper had been visiting everyone including her during dinner each night since being released. He got petted just like Storm did and then fed a meat every night. He seemed happy.

She hadn't helped with the latest pouring of the spices since she had been committed to getting her scroll correct. Thankfully the others hadn't complained. They had sold 32 pony kegs of various spices that she had suggested based on what she had seen in Kate's kitchen. It had earned each of them 11,200 gold pieces and they were already half way into pouring the next 8 pony kegs. Javi and Lanie were content to go to Silverymoon every two weeks to sell their spices and come back with the money. Dapper and Storm had gone with them each time. They had, in fact, only just gotten back yesterday and given everyone their fair share of the proceeds. They also handed everyone one more **Elemental Gem** now that the Wizards in town had created more giving everyone 3 of them. Most were **F** **ire** but they had at least one of each, **Earth** was the next most popular followed by **A** **ir** and then **W** **ater** of which they only had one of between them.

Rick hadn't brought up going over to the tower to try and talk to Hermage again while she was here.

Katherine was finally content since getting here. She had accomplished everything she thought she had wanted to. She had her scroll, had gotten it right twice now, Dapper was happy and still here. What still amazed her was her short talk with her grandmother. "I'm trying Gran, I'm really trying."

Just as the sun came up Katherine blinked and suddenly found herself sitting on the sectional with Alexis standing just the other side of the coffee table. "Did it work?" Alexis never did see anything happen. Katherine's answer was to jump up off the sectional, leap over the coffee table, and kiss her while wrapping her arms around her. She got kissed back eventually as Alexis softened and wrapped her own arms around her Katherine.


	40. Chapter 40

**K and K 40**

Kate blinked her eyes at the sun that was just coming up and saw the town of Relfrin below her. "It worked!" she shrieked and had to figure out where she was since this was _n_ _o_ _t_ their room. Walking out the door after grabbing a wrap, she realized that Katherine liked sleeping nude as much as she did. She found their room just across the hall. She entered the room and locked the door behind her.

Rick was naked and sprawled out on their bed. She bit her lower lip as what she wanted to do formed in her mind. He really was irresistible looking. Her first thought was to jump on him and pray that he already had an erection. She desperately wanted to sit on him and ram him deep inside her.

She decided to start kissing his thighs after dropping her cover and worked her way up. She almost had him hard when she felt his hand in her hair. "Kate?" Rick said somewhat groggily. He didn't want to cheat on her even if it still was her, sort of. "I want you babe, it's been 2 really long months." Kate was almost beyond horny and went back to getting Rick hard. She had a little fun till he took over, rolled them over, then drove his erection deep inside her causing her to cry out in pure joy.

Over an hour later Kate cried out with her latest orgasm. She collapsed down onto Rick and buried her face in his neck. He had climaxed three times inside her and she hadn't bothered with birth control.

Her heart was presently open, much more than it had ever been in her life. She desperately wanted to stay here with Rick and her friends. A new life, a different life. "I love you Rick, I love you so very much." Kate nipped his neck and just relaxed to let her heart slow down.

She was doodling on his chest with her finger. "What did Katherine tell you?" Kate needed to start somewhere. "She talked about there only being two coins left with which to change places. That she's in love with my daughter that I don't have and wants to stay in that world," he answered quietly. She lifted up to look at him and said, "I love you and want to stay here if you'll have me." This was it, either her heart would soar or it would be crushed. "I love you too, and I really want you to stay," he passionately assured her. She kissed him joyfully as her open heart flew in the clouds.

Kate broke from the kiss and rested her head on his chest. "What else did she tell you?" How much had Katherine told him? "You mean changing ages so that next time this happens you'll be older than me instead of younger?" Rick replied in a low tone. So she had told him. "Does that change anything?" she asked somewhat fearfully. Her heart was pounding. This was one more opportunity for him to rip her heart out of her chest and crush it. "It means we have a year for you to give birth to what will likely be our one and only child," he told her.

Kate scrambled to straddle him as she looked him in the eyes, her palms on his chest. She loved him even more now since she had been spending weeks thinking about how to talk to him about it. "Say that again, please?" Kate searched his eyes as her heart continued to pound in her chest. "The other me had a little girl and raised her all alone. If you're going to turn into a 38-year-old in a year you need to be pregnant now or Katherine will give birth to our child." Rick had been thinking about it ever since Katherine had told him.

Kate couldn't believe it and her joy and love for him was written all over her face. He chuckled at that look. "If you're willing to risk it, it doesn't have to be our only child," Rick told her. Kate leaned down to kiss him while she cried. Her life had changed and she wanted it – all of it! She rested on Rick's chest while she thought about what had happened to her life lately. Just how did she get so lucky? "Babe, we're going to need to have a lot of unprotected sex," Kate declared. "A dream come true," he teased which earned him a swat to his chest followed by being kissed to make it better.

"I brought back a method to make better women's underwear as well as something else. I need to go into Silverymoon to purchase a number of things. I'll probably take over a spare bedroom to start making them." Maybe even open a business later, buy a space in town to open her shop. "Shouldn't be a problem. We'll just find a space in town for you to use if necessary." Rick was thinking what she was and it earned him a kiss to his chest. "Anything happen while I was gone?" she inquired. It was time to catch up.

"We found something important just after you left and Katherine took your place. The Cloud Giants seemed to think so anyway. We haven't done much since then except pour out more spices and sell them in Silverymoon. We gained a fair amount of money but spent it too."

"You'll find that Katherine sold both of her **R** **ings** , bought a different one leaving you with just one. She also got a **T** **attoo** ," he told her. Kate sat up quickly to look and see if he was teasing her, but he wasn't. "Where!?" she demanded and started looking at her arms and legs and looked down at her breasts. "It covers most of your back actually. It's rather good looking as tattoos go." Rick had seen it when she had gotten it and just now when he made love to her. She jumped out of the bed and ran to the attached bathroom.

Kate twisted and turned in front of the mirror to try and see it. **"SON OF A BITCH!"** The damn thing was big and colorful. In her old life a tattoo was a stupid thing to have. It could be used to ID you before or after they killed you. She picked up the tiny mirror and used it to see all of this **T** **attoo**. "DAMN IT!" She was going to give Katherine a piece of her mind next time. "It's a magical **T** **attoo**. It's an equal to the **Monk's** **B** **elt** that you wear. The two stack and the **T** **attoo** should provide an increase of your abilities equal to what the belt does. You should try it before you reject it," he suggested.

She stopped trying to see her **T** **attoo** and looked at Rick. "By how much?" Maybe it was worth keeping. "The **B** **elt** should increase your natural ability about 1-1/2 times while the **T** **attoo** will do that yet again," Rick explained. Kate considered it. She _had_ noticed a difference while wearing the **B** **elt** and this stupid **T** **attoo** was supposed to do that again.

She tried looking at it with different eyes. It really did cover most of her back and it was colorful, the design intricate.

There was what looked like a large temple starting just at the base of her neck in a triangle with smaller ones like a wall across her shoulders. Under that looked to be a sun with a design in the center of it with rays shooting out all around it. Below that was a beautiful image of a crouching tiger ready to spring into an attack. It was a full color Bengal Tiger. It went from one side of her back to the other with a tip of tail and a paw just peeking out on her side.

"Something about the temple and wall giving you a solid defense. The sun and its rays are supposed to be about your Ki ability to reach and and touch anyone you choose, while the tiger's for attack, speed, and power. He talked about your Ki being your ability to hit people or objects that normal people cannot." Rick passed on what they were both told.

"How long did this take?" Kate went back to looking it over. This had to have taken weeks and caused Katherine lots of pain. "Just minutes actually," Rick told her and she almost dropped the mirror as a look of shock came over her face. Minutes just weren't possible, weeks were. She looked at it again. "Magic huh?" Kate muttered. It looked like she was stuck with it.

"What else did she do?" If she sold her magical boots or that backpack she was going to set booby traps in the loft on her next trip back. "She spent money to increase Dapper's ability to bite someone and increase the damage he does. Javi did the same for Storm," Rick told her. "Dapper is still here?" That surprised her. She was positive Katherine was going to release him and let him go back into the wild. "Katherine released him then offered him a chance to stay and he stayed. We're thinking Storm may have pups in the not too distant future," he said.

Kate whipped her head around to look at him, a little surprised. Rick smiled when he saw her face soften. "Babies and pups...we may need a bigger home," Kate started smiling. They already had 6 horses and 7 pack mules downstairs that they used to get the spice-filled pony kegs into Silverymoon. It also filled their stable to almost overflowing. It had forced them to install lower ceilings in some of the stalls so they could us that space as storage. This many animals meant a lot of hay had to be stored and they just didn't have that much floor space. Rick simpley shrugged. "We still have all four **Lyres of Building** from when we made this place. We can use them again to create more storage space." She put the mirror down, jumped into his arms, and kissed him. How ever had she gotten so lucky?

Kate had gotten dressed and wrapped her **Monk's B** **elt** around her then went downstairs to start breakfast. She whistled into the tube. "Two packages of sausage please." And waited for the bell to pull them up and start cooking. "Twelve eggs please," Kate made another request and soon found everyone waiting on breakfast.

So far placing a pot of water inside this cantankerous stove seemed to be working out, or at least a little. "We need to go into Silverymoon and buy something to replace this antique. I now know just what we need," Kate informed them. "Unless, of course, you like burnt food." She threw in an extra incentive. After breakfast they counted up just how much money they actually had left and found that it was a fair amount though not enough to purchase that coveted **Portable Hole** that was on the top of their magical item list of must haves.

When she heard Storm and Dapper barking out a warning Kate found out just how quick and fast she really was since she was way out in front of everyone else going down the stairs. She found Storm and Dapper barking at a lovely female Elf standing just outside. "May I come inside; I would like to speak to all of you," she requested. The others showed up just as Kate was getting Storm and Dapper to relax. "Guri, we've been expecting you," Rick welcomed her and said a different word softly, one that would allow guests to enter without being attacked. "Thank you," Guri replied and headed for the stairs.

"Is there something to drink? It has already been a long day," Guri said and it wasn't even lunch yet. "Wine would be most welcome," she added and was soon sipping some fine wine thanks to Kate. "I will get to the point since it will likely cause you to go into Silverymoon to purchase some needed items." Guri pulled out a bag and dropped it on the dining room table they are all sitting around.

"As you will remember we, or actually you, found a set of mirrors. Father has worked out that they are part of a _**Nexus of Lolth**_. A _**Nexus of Lolth**_ is made up of a set of mirrors that allow people and monsters to pass from this world into another and proceed to perform attacks or general terror that is in her interests," Guri explained. Kate's eyes opened wide and suddenly felt fear in the bottom of her stomach. "The answer to your question is no, none of the mirrors go to your world," Guri looked right at Kate when she said this. "What you may or may not know is that there are virtually a limitless numbers of worlds to travel to."

"We presently have five of her mirrors in a very secure place in my father's home. What we are asking you to do is enter one of them and determine what she hopes to achieve and put an end to it. Father is offering each of you 15,000 gold pieces plus you may keep whatever you find while you are there," Guri informed them which helped to explain the bag of coins she dropped on the table.

"Tell us about this space or do we have a choice of mirrors to walk through? Please explain the method and risks we will be taking." Rick just knew it wasn't that simple.

"In this case we want to send you through the mirror that shows a frozen tunnel but have no information about what lies beyond. It is a mirror to another plane of existence, another world if you please. There are no risks that we know of concerning stepping through. The only concern you need to keep in mind is that _to get back to this plane, this world, you will need to travel back through the same place that you exited from._ You will need to make sure you know how and can travel back to where you exited in order to get back." It was Guri's only warning. "And hope that no one comes after us and moves it," Rick pointed out a flaw in her thinking and got a nod of Guri's head in return. "Give us some time to talk?" he asked her. "I will be downstairs when you are ready." And she got up and went down the stairs.

"We're going to need to bundle up to stay warm obviously," Kate pointed out. "Our tent is unaffected by cold and always keeps the interior temperate, plus we each have our sleeping bags that do the same," Rick stated. "Heavy clothing is obvious, snow shoes will be a must, a method to dig and possibly dig quickly would be nice to have," Kate suggested and kept thinking. "Food, water?" she added.

"I can create water and even purify what we find if need be," Lanie offered. "Our backpacks can hold the food we need. ...Horses, wolves?" Javi questioned then watched Kate shake her head. "Not if Storm's pregnant and would Dapper even leave her?" Kate was already hoping she was pregnant, but that was different.

"Fifteen thousand gold pieces each," Jenny remarked. "Almost enough for just one person to purchase that **Portable Hole** ," Kevin pointed out since it meant they could pack a lot with just one of those things which had him grinning wide. In fact if they pooled their money it would still leave each of them just under 12,000 gold pieces.

"All right, besides being cold what are the challenges?" Rick questioned. "Easy, movement is one and snow shoes will help with that as a non-magical item. No real running but it's better than slogging slowly through deep snow. Another is called snow blindness. All of that white with the sun out will be blinding; we'll need eyewear to prevent it," Kate told them. She was knowledgeable about the subject since she had a winter home in Canada.

"We also need layers if using non-magical means. The more layers the better. It's the air in-between each layer that will help us keep warm. A waterproof exterior yes, just make sure to layer under all that. Another is a river or stream may look frozen over but the ice may not be thick enough so we'll need a way to cross without getting wet or freezing to death," Kate added.

"Horses?" Jenny asked but everyone shook their heads. "Frozen solid by the end of the first day depending on just how cold it is there," Kate told her. The situation had her wishing for a snowmobile about now.

"There are Eskimo Huskies or Siberian Huskies that have coats thick enough for extreme cold though so do wolves, just our two aren't going. With enough of them we can have them tow a snow sled and use it to carry dog food and people food," Kate suggested.

"How may dogs per sled?" Javi asked wondering if it was worth it. "Eight or ten per sled I think," Kate answered and watched him shake his head. They stood no chance of finding that many dogs let alone enough for just one sled.

"Other problems?" Rick asked. "Wet wood for fires," Kate said. "My tent is always working but it isn't big enough to feed all of us or keep all of us warm or to dry out everyone's wet clothes," Jenny said sadly. "If I remember correctly our tent has a fire in a pit in the center we can use to do some cooking." Rick was hoping he remembered correctly.

"Sounds like we can solve the problems. Do we accept their terms?" Rick questioned them all.

They went downstairs and found Guri sitting on the ground petting Storm with Dapper watching her every move. "She's pregnant," Guri informed them in case they were thinking of taking her with them. "We thought so," Javi admitted. "And we're not taking either one of them with us," he added.

"We accept your terms provided you will give us time to go to Silverymoon to buy items to counter the cold weather," Rick informed her. Guri smiled for once. "You have two weeks to show up at the door of my father's home. You will be escorted to the room where the mirrors are being held and be allowed to enter the mirror in question. I cannot impress enough on you the need to make sure you can find out how to get back," Guri warned them once more. "That's something we all know. We'll be careful," Rick assured her.

"Excellent! I will inform father to expect you in no more than two weeks time, less if you choose." Guri got up and let herself out. "It's not even lunch yet, let's get packed and get moving," Rick said. "I'll go hire the smith's two sons again to care for the animals. Those two are going to be rich soon," Jenny chuckled at the amount of use they got out of the boys.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The trip to Silverymoon was uneventful and quick as usual. Rick was betting that those Gorgons had gone down the other side of the mountain after turning the townspeople to stone.

They had no trouble finding winter clothing for all of them including winter boots they would be needing along with snowshoes for all of them. Their only problem was the same shop didn't have enough goggles to prevent snow blindness. "Two days per pair," the shopkeeper informed them of the time it would take to make them. Three days here and three days back meant they had eight days for the three pairs of goggles that they needed. "We'll take them," Kate told him and handed over half now and half upon completion. They had warmth and snow blindness taken care of, now how did they handle streams or rivers? "I still have my boots of flying even if I won't be wearing them," Lanie pointed out.

Next in line of purchases was that **Portable Hole** they wanted so badly, leaving each of them a little over 11,000 gold pieces plus what each person had. It was while they were in the magical objects shop that they found out about a magical item called **Murilyn's Spoon**. Each day when it was placed in a bowl, cup, or something similar it would create a gruel that was enough for four people. Kate asked for a demonstration and a taste test. They watched him place it in a large bowl and sure enough it filled the bowl with a nondescript gruel or paste. Kate gave it a taste and made a horrible face and almost spat it back out. "It tastes like wet cardboard," she complained. "It will produce all the nutrients you need for four people per day," they were told with all sincerity. It was only 5,400 gold pieces. They got two of them for emergencies that cost each of them 1,800 gold pieces.

In the same shop they found out about a **Ring of Warmth** that would work just like their tent and sleeping bags so that you didn't need all of the heavy clothing. Two thousand one hundred gold pieces except that they only had two of them. "How long to make more?" Kate questioned. "One week per ring," he answered.

They obviously could afford them there just weren't enough of them. "We'll take the two you have and order the third," Kate told him after looking at the others. The girls ended up getting the rings while the guys would rough it, though Kate suggested that they still wear the clothing just to keep from getting wet should they fall into the snow or have it fall on them.

Then they were told about **Boots of the Winterlands.** Wearing them, a person could travel across snow at normal speed and leave no tracks behind. Additionally a person could travel at normal speed across the slipperiest ice without falling or slipping. One thousand two hundred fifty gold pieces. "SOLD!" Rick loved the idea, except like the rings they only had two pairs and it would take a week to make another pair. "STILL SOLD!" Javi told him since they would be back in a week to get their goggles and ring.

The day they left Silverymoon with their new items being worn or carried in their backpacks, they had stopped to get enough food for 2 weeks even though they had those two spoons. "It's REAL food," Kate whined while she stuffed her backpack with her winter and normal clothing and food still remembering the taste of wet cardboard.

It reminded her of the conversation she had had with Alexis one day over coffee. "How can you not like coffee? You're from this world," Alexis had pointed out. "I'm a thief/assassin and can't afford having an addiction that will interfere with my work. I can't have the need to stop at a Starbucks interfere with what I'm doing. It's a weakness I can't afford," Kate had explained.

"But coffee's a staple, not a weakness and it tastes soooo good," Alexis had countered. "So I can throw this fancy machine in the trash?" Kate went to pick it up and throw it out only to have Alexis intercept her. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Alexis stood in front of her precious espresso machine protecting it from going in the trash. Kate had simply smiled after proving her point.

"I have two more places to go. We need to find a maker of wood burning stoves with an oven," Kate informed them. After asking a few questions they finally found one who asked Kate to draw him a sketch.

"Four legs, one at each corner. The fire box needs to be on this side, the water tank that's sealed enough not to leak is on this side with the oven between the two. The back of it goes up to a warming drawer with the flue damper and control here," Kate tried to get the sketch right. "The whole thing is this wide, this deep, and this tall," she said and added dimensions to her sketch.

"Can you make that?" Kate asked him. "I've never made anything that looks like this before. It's ingenious. A novel idea on how to make hot water," he commented. "Actually the water tank is to help prevent hot spots for more even cooking," Kate informed him. Now he was interested. If he could make her one, he could make more and make a fortune selling new models to everyone. "It will take several months," he warned her. "And I'll need a deposit to purchase materials, say 500 gold pieces?" he said. He still needed to come up with a price to sell it to her. "Deal." Kate handed over his money.

"Now I need a fabric store," Kate told them which proved a lot easier. As she feared they didn't have any idea what spandex was or anything like it. They did, however, have a model to put dresses on, along with bolt after bolt of fabric. Kate decided to come back for the model later. She bought all the thread they had in colors to match the fabric she chose along with several of the more expensive bolts of fabric plus one of simple white cotton.

She also purchased wood pulp and bleach. She was going to use the wood pulp and bleach to make cellulose fibers that would make up the rayon portion and add cotton to make tampons out of, if she could get it to work and remembered the formula. Tampons might just not be possible given this level of technology.

One thousand two hundred fifty-five gold pieces later and her backpack was indeed stuffed.

"We can go home now," Kate told them. "Trust me, you two are going to thank me later." Kate was sure of it. What she was planning on making was gold!


	41. Chapter 41

**K and K 41**

Katherine only broke from the kiss because she needed air. "Hi! ...miss me?" she teased since it was obvious that she had missed Alexis. "You were gone? I never noticed," Alexis was grinning while she teased back. "How did it go?" Alexis wanted information; sex could come later tonight.

"Rick loves her and wants her to stay. I think he's on board with the age change but he didn't say much about that. And you should see the house they've built. It was amazing. The ground floor was the stable, the next floor was the living room, kitchen, and library with an outside garden to grow things. The third and fourth floors were identical with four bedrooms and two bathrooms per floor with a rooftop deck."

"There are even 3 basement levels, one of which has a walk-in freezer/cooler. And you wouldn't believe the system they have to get food up and keep it all clean. My parents' house was nothing like this place." Katherine had loved it. "How did they get a freezer/cooler?" Alexis was expecting salted meats not modern cooling. "Magic, of course. Even they don't really know but are guessing that the shelving is magic," Katherine explained.

"I let Dapper go and that hurt a lot, but he chose to stay and I think Storm, Javi's wolf, is pregnant. They're going to have pups one day in the near future. Even the furniture was nice," she nattered nervously.

"Oh, I need pen and paper. Now, while I'm still remembering it." Katherine let go of Alexis and moved toward the study to find what she wanted. "And do what?" Alexis inquired and followed her into the study.

Katherine was searching. "No, ...no, ...no." As Katherine discarded items one after the other. "We need to go shopping. I need a medieval type of writing quill and the best paper we can lay our hands on. ID, money, keys." Katherine checked what she was wearing and headed for the front door. "You coming?" she asked which had Alexis running after her.

New York City had everything it seemed and it wasn't hard to find the right kind of pen, ink, and some of the best paper a modern society could produce.

Katherine was soon back in the study and began writing after changing clothes. Her last two attempts had been perfect; she needed for this one to be perfect also. What are you doing?" Alexis didn't understand the rush. "Shh," was all she got back as Katherine waved a hand at her to go away. Alexis trusted her and loved her so she left her be. Alexis found her still at it after dinner was done and didn't get any reaction out of her. Katherine was zoned out again like she did while reading her Xanth books.

Alexis left her something to eat. When she checked just before bed she found it untouched and Katherine still at it. She peeked at what Katherine was doing but it looked intricate and difficult and meant nothing to her. What Alexis wanted to do was tap her on the shoulder and get her to come to bed but thought better of it. So she left her then stripped down and went to bed naked without her. It wasn't easy and Alexis was up to check on Katherine a couple of hours later. Alexis wanted Katherine's arms around her but she was home again and there would be other nights, it was just hard knowing Katherine was on the other side of the door and not in bed with her.

Come morning she found Katherine still at it with her dinner sitting right where Alexis had left it. Alexis picked it up and scraped it into the trash, rinsed the plate and glass, and put them into the dishwasher. Next she poured out some orange juice and left it next to Katherine who was still bent over what she was working on.

Katherine sat back and found some orange juice close by so she drank it down finding she was thirsty like all the other times. She also realized her bladder was screaming at her which made her hurry into the bathroom. Once back at the desk she went over every line and dot she had recreated from memory looking for an error. Finally satisfied she went into the kitchen since her stomach was complaining about being ignored.

"You're up!" Alexis saw her enter the kitchen just as she was finishing cleaning up from breakfast.

"I'm sorry Alexis but it was important. You should probably sit down for this," Katherine warned her. "Kat, what's wrong?" Alexis, much like her father, immediately created horrible options of what this could mean. "Just sit Lex." Katherine planted her on a bar stool then put a slice of bread into the toaster and searched for the jam.

"Before I even left here I had a plan. When I returned to my world I conferred with a very nice elderly Elven Cleric. Consulting with others they came up with a plan that might work. She gave me the necessary scroll and ink for me to make copies. My first attempt ended in disaster. My last two, however, were perfect, so I needed to recreate another while I still remembered it," Katherine explained and took a bite of her toast noticing that her stomach really wanted more than a tiny piece of toast.

"Okay, to do what? Treasure map maybe?" Alexis brightened up instantly which made Katherine chuckle. "It's a magical scroll, a Cleric's scroll that might not even work since I'm a Druid, but it might." Alexis waited patiently for the point of this conversation. "What I recreated is a scroll of **True Resurrection**. Essentially it means that I or you read the scroll and the magic works. In this case it will bring a person back from the dead at the point when they died," Katherine explained and Alexis immediately panicked.

" **OH GOD! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!** You're going to die and you need this spell for me to read to bring you back." Alexis was up off her stool and had Katherine in her arms, blinking back tears. "I'm fine Lex, I'm fine! I promise. The scroll...it's not for me. It's...it's for your father. I want to try to bring your father back to life." Katherine held Alexis's face in both hands and watched the emotions play across her face.

"My dad? You want to bring _my dad_ back from the dead?" Alexis tried to wrap her mind around this idea. "In my world there are magic spells to do all kinds of things. You've seen some of mine. In my world Richard Castle is a Wizard and he casts magic spells too. Except his are different. His newest spell is called **Lighting Bolt** and it pretty much does what it sounds like," Katherine told her after having watched him practice down in the basement one day while Lanie looked over one of her attempts at getting the scroll correct.

"There are all kinds of spells. There are also real undead monsters to worry about." At least Lanie was freaking out about them and had convinced her. "Like for real zombies!? You want to bring my dad back and be a zombie?" She loved Katherine but this was nuts! "No. NO, not a zombie. A real live person. Just like he was before he died only he won't be damaged or hurt. He'll be alive Lex, really alive. ...If this works that is." Katherine still wasn't sure this was going to work.

"Dad will be alive if you read this spell? Just like he was before Paris?" Alexis wanted to be clear because this just wasn't possible, was it? "If you can find the Cleric who has the spell or if you buy the scroll, it works in my world. Since my spells work in your world, so should this spell." At least Katherine hoped it would.

"Then what are we waiting for? Read the scroll or hand it over and I'll read it." Alexis suddenly had hope and the woman she loved was giving it to her. "There are two components to this spell." Katherine didn't want to burst her bubble but Alexis needed to understand. Alexis sagged. "Naturally." And _**poof**_ _,_ her hope had a hole the size of the Titanic in it.

"There are two things Lex. One is I had to recreate this from memory; I've been drilling it into my mind for over a month now. I only got my last two attempts right. Rick and Lanie looked them over along with all the others," Katherine paused. Okay, she trusted Katherine to get it right. "The second is that we need 25,000 gold pieces worth of diamonds that get used up as part of the spell. What no one in my world could tell me was how much money that is here. We may need a whole lot of diamonds. Just diamonds, not a diamond necklace or bracelet. Just diamonds," Katherine informed her.

"So we buy diamonds; I have money. Which reminds me, Kate left you all of her money, how to access all of it. Addresses for all of her property. Where all the keys to her cars are located. The codes for the security system, everything. You're not rich Kat, you are filthy stinking rich."

"Dad left me and Grams money and even after the IRS got their cut we still had $10 million each left to live off of. You have several times that. Hundreds of times that number actually," Alexis explained. "She left me two accounts at $20 million each..." Alexis interrupted her. "$22 million each actually. You have over 21 times that number total. You have over $450 million Kat. Do you have any idea just how much money that is?" Alexis was still amazed. "We could buy and build our island about 22 times with the amount of money you have." Alexis tried to get her to understand just how much that really was.

"Is that a lot of diamonds?" That was all Katherine cared about. Alexis laughed at just how naive Katherine really was in this world. "Yes, that's a lot of diamonds," Alexis confirmed for her. Alexis realized that she was going to have to be the one to handle their money. Even if it was considerable amount.

"Great, where do we get diamonds?" Katherine was ready to go shopping. "That's a good question. Around here you buy diamonds that are already made into jewelry like the diamonds you wore in Fiji. What you're talking about are loose diamonds and you can't just go down to your local jewelry store to buy them. We're going to have to find them someplace else. Our first problem is how many diamonds do we need?" Alexis thought they could buy loose diamonds but just how many did they need really? "So you believe me?" Katherine was still a little shocked at that.

"Of course I believe you. I love you." Alexis wrapped her arms around her and kissed her getting kissed back. "I don't have school tomorrow or the day after so we need to start searching." Then Alexis dragged Katherine back into the study before turning around and went over to the coffee table where the laptop was. "Oh, Kate left you a message, too." Alexis sat down and patted the space next to her and waited for Katherine to join her before pressing ENTER.

" _Hi, I'm hoping my timing was good and if you are watching this I'm guessing it was at least good enough. And since she is likely watching this, I approve of Alexis. Not my type but I'm thankful that you_ _'_ _ve found someone because I really want to stay in your world._

 _It has a few challenges, like no electric_ _ity, no_ _washer and dryer_ _,_ _and don't get me started on not having a dishwasher.'_ Kate rolled her eyes to enforce her point. _'However_ _,_ _you_ _'_ _ve likely seen our home now. I love it almost as much as I love Rick."_

" _To get to the point, I approve of both of your plans. The one about age and the other one. My only fear is what happens to Alexis's heart should it fail but you would know better than I."_

" _As Alexis can tell you_ _,_ _I_ _'_ _ve left you access to every bank account I have, provided her with all the access codes to open everything and how to get into the complex of my home in Kansas City. As I mentioned earlier, my only request is that you not sell the Fiji home. You can do what you wish with the other two homes and car."_

" _Alexis has shown me all of the floor plans and color renderings of the place you two are designing. I must say it_ _'_ _s unique and I love the theater room and the game room. Batman and Star Wars, what an amazing combination."_

" _As for your magical items_ _–_ _I promise not to sell them unless Rick approves because we_ _'_ _re desperate for some reason. I haven't told Alexis so this will be news to her as well. My plan is to give Rick a child as soon as possible. I have little doubt that you_ _'_ _ve told him about Alexis_ _and her dad_ _and how he raised her alone."_

" _We haven't talked about it so I hope he is willing to move fast. It may take a few months for me_ _..._ _you, to get pregnant so_ _please_ _take that into account when you use the next to last coin. I'm not sure how you would feel about changing places while I'm in labor. Though since I'm not likely going to be given any drugs for the pain that might not be such a bad thing."_ Kate started laughing. She had never thought about getting pregnant. She had even worked hard at avoiding needing men in her life. Now she had a new life with different choices and was doing her best to not listen to her old voice that told her one thing while she did the opposite.

" _I've taken a number of classes and done some research to take with me to make some changes. Don't be surprised if the next time we switch you find that I'm running and making lingerie for women along with manufactur_ _ing_ _tampons or at least better pads like we have been using here. I'm going to bring your world into at least the 19th_ _c_ _entury if it kills me."_ Kate laughed again since she was likely going to be a really old lady by then.

" _Next time I'm going to do some more research and see about bringing more things from this world into yours, mine_ _..._ _so confusing."_ Kate smiled. " _No offense but I really need to get your body into shape which will_ _probab_ _ly have to wait until after the baby. Baby! ...I still can't believe I'm talking about having a baby. Maybe you can tell Alexis all about him or her and_ _whether_ _Rick_ _'_ _s like her_ _dad_ _."_

" _Good luck with your plan. I hope Alexis gets what she wants and your willingness to do this speaks volumes to me. She_ _'_ _s a_ _very_ _lucky young lady. See you in a little over a year or more. Bye for now._ _"_ Kate waved and reached for the laptop to end the recording.

"She knew and you didn't tell me!" Alexis couldn't believe her, and threw daggers at Katherine with her eyes. "I didn't know if it was even possible so I didn't want to get your hopes up. I still don't know if this is going to work," Katherine defended herself. "I couldn't raise your hopes and then come back with nothing," she murmured.

"Let's find those diamonds! We have two days." Alexis grabbed the laptop and began searching.

 **B2C Jewels** , 16 West 46th street, Suite 902, New York, NY 10036.

"We have 300,000 plus number of diamonds in stock. How may I serve you?" the elderly gentlemen asked them when they made it past the receptionist. "We would like to acquire $250,000 in diamonds, rough or cut, it doesn't matter," Alexis told him. "Well, all of my diamonds are cut. You're going to find a real challenge if you want rough diamonds and don't have a license," he informed them. "We're prepared to purchase and leave with them today if that's possible," Alexis said. "Give me some time and I can meet your requirement. Let me get started if you'd care to wait." He left them to make arrangements.

An hour later Katherine and Alexis were leaving with $250,000 in cut diamonds. They had discussed color and clarity and asked for a minimum so as not to rouse any of his suspicions about what they planned on doing with them.

Alexis poured them out on the kitchen counter and marveled at them. She picked one up and moved it around between her finger and thumb. Seeing it gave her an idea, but it wasn't the right time. "Now what?" Alexis knew almost nothing about spells. "We have the diamonds and all we should have to do is read the scroll. I was warned that if it didn't work it would be up to me to determine if it was because I'd screwed up the scroll or we didn't have enough diamonds, or both," Katherine cautioned her about a possible failure.

"Simply adding some zeroes seemed like a reasonable starting point," Alexis offered meekly. "I'll get the scroll," Katherine told her and went into the study then returned a moment later. "Do we do anything? Draw something on the floor? Place the diamonds in a circle or pentagram maybe?" Alexis was nervous and desperately wanted this to work.

"No, I'll just read the scroll with the diamonds close by and if it works your father will be next to us and the diamonds will be gone," Katherine stated plainly. "And if it fails, do we lose the diamonds?"Alexis questioned. "No, the spell just fails and we try something else,"Katherine explained. Alexis's heart was pounding and she was about ready to collapse but remained standing as Katherine started reading from the scroll she had created. AND... _ **NOTHING!**_

That's it?"Alexis asked, stunned. "That's it." And they looked around and saw the diamonds still on the countertop. "Now what?" Alexis said dejectedly. "It's either my scroll or the value of the diamonds. We may not have gotten 25,000 gold pieces worth, so diamonds first?" Katherine asked her and got her to nod. It they could get more today they just had to bring them home and read the scroll again. "It's probably a bad idea going back to the same guy so we need to go somewhere else," Alexis suggested and found another place.

 **Four Mines** , 48 West 48th street, suite 1301, New York, NY 10036

They closed at 6pm and they were leaving for the next location at 5:00 pm with another $250,000 in loose cut diamonds.

 **MDC Diamonds** , 580 Fifth Avenue, Suite 349, New York, NY 10036

They closed at 7pm and they were leaving and had the door closed and locked behind them just a little after 7pm with another $250,000 in cut diamonds.

"We've got $750,000 in cut diamonds of various color, clarity, and cut. Think it's enough?" Alexis asked anxiously, crossing her fingers and even her toes. "Only one way to find out," Katherine said and read from the scroll again thankful that Martha wasn't home yet. All of the diamonds were in a nice pile sitting on the countertop right next to Katherine as she read her scroll. AND... _ **STILL**_ _ **NOTHING!**_

Alexis placed her head on the countertop. "I can't take this, why won't it work?" she almost wailed. As much as Katherine warned her not to get her hopes up, she had. She loved Katherine and had faith in her and she loved her dad and wanted him back so very badly. Katherine stepped in behind her and felt absolutely wretched because she'd failed the person she loved. She so wanted for this to work for her. "It's either my bad copy job or it's not enough diamonds." Katherine rubbed her arms. "I can't help it Kat, I want my dad back. It needs to work." Alexis looked at her watch and found it was just short of 8:00 pm.

"Too late to go get more diamonds and to be honest, and I'm not hungry," Alexis admitted. "I am," Katherine told her. "We can order for something to be delivered," Alexis offered only to see Katherine shake her head. "I'm not hungry for food. It's been two very long months." Katherine gave her a hint while looking at her with lust in her eyes. Alexis was perplexed at first till she looked into her dark eyes. She smiled. "Yeah, it has," Alexis agreed and they held each other's hands on the way to the master bedroom.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Martha let herself into the loft and wasn't surprised to find the space empty though she was a little surprised that some of the lights were on. She turned them off as she walked around till she made it to the kitchen. "OH MY WORD!" Martha walked over to the diamonds still piled up on the countertop. "Where have you beauties been all my life?" Martha put a few of them in her palm and ran a finger through them.

Now she had a lot of questions and got a few answers when she heard a female scream in pleasure. "Sounds like they made up from whatever was wrong," Martha smiled. Alexis was happy again and she was hoping it was because of Katherine. She only believed for a second that it was someone else, but Alexis would never do that.

Martha hoped what her son had gone through with Meredith had taught Alexis not to cheat on Katherine. But she wondered why Katherine had been so distant for the last couple of months. Still she had gone boat shopping with Alexis so Martha hoped that meant good things.

Another scream of pleasure echoed through the downstairs. Martha turned out the kitchen light and left the pile of diamonds where she found them. She headed upstairs to her room determined to get up early and be downstairs waiting with her questions.


	42. Chapter 42

**K and K 42**

Alexis woke Katherine up really early. She just couldn't wait any longer. "We need those diamonds," she told her then went and jumped in the shower. However, she just stood there. Alexis collapsed into the taller Katherine while in the shower. "Will this work, I mean really work?" Alexis practically begged for assurance. Katherine simply held her tight and let the water run over them. "This is why I didn't tell you anything before I left. I already had my own hopes up when I left. Even the Elf Cleric didn't know if it would work. There are just so many things that can go wrong."

Alexis looked up at her. "An elf, like a real, live elf, a Hobbit kind of elf?" It reminded her to ask more questions about the world that Katherine was leaving in favor of hers. Was it all because she wanted to stay with her? Because Katherine loved her? So many questions ran through her mind. What Alexis asked made Katherine chuckle. "Yes, a real live Elf. Soft skin, thin bodies, pointed ears, different haircuts…an Elf," Katherine said with a gentle smile.

Alexis was sitting at the laptop in the study again just as Katherine exited the bedroom, dressed and ready to go. "I found one, it opens at 9:15 am. We can stop for breakfast along the way," Alexis offered since it was still before 6:00 am.

 **A. Fishman and Son** , 580 Fifth Avenue, Suite 419, New York, NY 10036

They made it out of the loft without seeing Martha and all of the lights being out never registered with either of them. They hadn't even stopped to look to see if the other diamonds were still there. Last night they had had other things on their mind and this morning it was about getting more diamonds.

They talked a little over breakfast about how much to purchase this time. "We might be running out of stores to visit in the city. Perhaps we should double the amount," Alexis suggested. "I don't know Lex. I just don't know. For all I know we only have half of what we need now or maybe we're only short one or two. It would appear we can afford more; if you think it's safe we can ask for more," Katherine replied. She really didn't know the rules or risks in this world.

They were waiting at the door just as the suite's door was unlocked. By 11:00 am they left with $500,000 in loose cut diamonds. "Maybe we really have been short diamonds. We've been paying for the diamonds and leaving with them, but each place must be making a profit off the sales. How would they stay in business if they didn't? Plus there's the sales tax." Alexis thought she was on to something. They had been spending $250,000 but had they gotten $250,000 in diamonds after allowing for the store's profit and taxes?

"So while we've now spent $1.25 million on diamonds we may not actually have diamonds worth that much because of this profit." Katherine was catching on fast. "Maybe it was a good thing we doubled the amount this time," she remarked as they headed back to the loft.

Martha realized they were already gone by the time she made it downstairs and cursed her luck. So she ate breakfast, picked up a book, and started reading. Then she switched on the TV. Not finding anything interesting, she went back to her book. Finally the front door of the loft opened. Martha turned and watched Alexis head straight for the diamonds in the kitchen while Katherine started past her to go into the study. "Morning Martha," she said mindlessly as a standard greeting.

Katherine hit the brakes. "Martha! ...You're up." Katherine looked at her and turned to look at Alexis who looked surprised and scared. "Good morning you two. Another shopping trip?" Martha gave them a hint that the jig was up.

"It's not what you think Grams, we're trying..." God how was she going to explain all this to her grandmother? It was time to pay the piper so Alexis walked into the living room and sat down next to her while Katherine sat on the coffee table facing both of them. "This is going to be hard to explain Grams. It's taken a lot to get me to believe and I've been living it," Alexis said, unsure how to proceed. She looked at Katherine to help bail her out and start all this.

"Where to start that makes sense? ...My name is Katherine Houghton Beckett and I'm 24 years old, at least I am on my world. I was with some new friends when I suddenly found myself somewhere else. In this case it was a home in Canada during winter. I only found out later that I had changed places with another Katherine Houghton Beckett. This Beckett," Katherine gestured down the front of her body. "We've been changing places ever since. I left a message begging her not to leave me all alone...isolated in Canada so she went to Fiji where she had a home and we changed places again."

"It was there that I met Alexis. She quickly became my best friend till she eventually became more than that. I love her with all of my heart," Katherine told her and could see that she wasn't believing any of this.

"We can prove it Grams." Alexis was up and into the study to get the laptop and pull up one of the recordings Kate had left Katherine and played it for her. "I'm a Druid in my world and can cast real magic spells," Katherine assured her. "She can prove it Grams; she can show you." And Alexis looked at her wanting her to cast a spell that would prove her claims.

Katherine stood up and cast **Summon Nature's Ally I**. Martha sucked in a shocked breath when a monkey suddenly appeared in Katherine's arms. She placed it on the floor and cast **Summon Nature's Ally II** and a large black bear appeared, growling at everyone. She cooed at him and talked to him to calm him down till he simply snorted at Martha and Alexis. Martha had backed up to the other side of the sectional at this point. Next cast was **Summon Nature's Ally III**. Now there was a really large ape that roared and pounded on its chest causing Martha to squeal and freeze in terror.

Katherine made soothing sounds and talked to him. Soon she had three placid animals in the room. "They're spells I can use to summon animals to help me, protect me, and attack people who are trying to attack me," she explained. "Thanks guys," she said and kissed each of them. Then suddenly all three of them were just ...gone. "I can do it again if you like," she offered. Katherine had the spells she could convert to this spell naturally. "I... That won't be necessary dear." Martha had a hand over her heart willing it to slow down.

"Katherine grew up in a world full of magic Grams. Real magic is everywhere there," Alexis stated. "Well, not exactly everywhere. Most people live a simple life and don't own magic or have the capability to cast spells, but there are a lot who can," Katherine corrected Alexis's statement.

"So who has been here if you were there, or here, ...oh, I don't know." Martha was quite confused. "That was Kate; she's been here for the last 2 months before going back to Katherine's world," Alexis explained.

"So you two are switching places. When does it stop?" Martha didn't see how this was going to make Alexis happy and that was what she wanted most. "The Kate who lives in this world found a magic item and got it to work by accident it seems," Alexis began.

"It consists of two items and there are only 2 changes left. I can switch us once and she can switch us the final time, leaving each of us in the other's world. Which we've realized is what both of us want. I want to stay here with Alexis and she wants to stay there with Rick. I'm hoping this final switch will result in me going back to being 24 years old instead of 37 that the Kate in this world is," Katherine explained.

Two years older than Alexis sounded better to her but was all of this real? Granted it wasn't just anyone who could produce a monkey, bear, and gorilla out of thin air then send them away. And the words she said and movements she made? Was Katherine another David Copperfield?

"There's one more thing Grams and this is a big one," Alexis told her and looked at Katherine again to tell the story. Katherine took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "In my world magic is prevalent. Druid spells, magic user spells, and Cleric spells. Each is different though no less powerful than the other, just different. A very formidable Cleric can cast a powerful spell called **True Resurrection.** Basically it means that if a person dies, no matter how long ago it was, a Cleric can cast this spell and bring that person back to life," Katherine explained clearly and calmly.

Martha had heard every word but didn't understand what this had to do with anything. "Kat has found a way that she thinks might bring Dad back to life," Alexis told her.

Now Martha was shocked but not shocked that her son would live again, but that Alexis had fallen for this fraud. "Alexis, darling. Your father is dead and dead is dead. As hard as that is, you need to get past it." Martha had moved on with difficultly, but still she had moved on.

"It will work Martha, or at least it should work. We hope it will work. I spent over a month memorizing the spell; I wrote it out, and have used it twice now. Our only problem is that to make it work in my world it requires 25,000 gold pieces worth of diamonds. We needed to buy diamonds in this world to make the spell work," Katherine said, and suddenly Martha opened her eyes and thought about the diamonds on the kitchen counter. Alexis has been going out and buying diamonds so that this fraud can get to her money! It was all clear to her now.

"We've been spending my money buying diamonds yesterday and again this morning. This is _my_ idea, _my_ spell, so I've been spending _my_ money. It _should_ work but it might not," Katherine told her and _**poof**_ _,_ Martha's certainty that Katherine was a fraud went up in smoke.

"You already have a lot of diamonds," Martha stated the obvious. "I found them on the counter last night while you two were in the bedroom." She left off hearing the screaming from an orgasm but Katherine had it since it was she who did the screaming. Katherine placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry Martha, I...I'll try and be more quiet next time." Katherine could feel her blush working its way up her face. Seeing it made Martha smile while Alexis softly chuckled since she loved making Katherine scream.

"So you really think this spell will work?" Martha tried it on for size. "Just how many diamonds do you have?" Katherine had said $25,000 but that didn't sound like that much money. "We have about $1.25 million Grams," Alexis answered her question. "And it didn't work," Martha said flatly and was ready to move on.

"Actually we only have that amount after buying still more diamonds this morning. We were going to add them to the others and read the spell again. If it fails again we'll either buy more diamonds or I'll have to assume I screwed up and write up another spell," Katherine responded.

"Go get the spell, I have the diamonds," Alexis said and hurried over to the other diamonds. She poured the new ones on top of the others creating a very nice display of cut diamonds.

Katherine and Alexis waited for Martha to join them. "This isn't going to work dear." Her son was dead and dead was dead. "It'll work Grams; have some faith. I trust Kat." Alexis took hold of one of Katherine's hands and squeezed. "Fine, so what happens?" Martha was willing to play along till this charade ended. "What I was told was I read the spell, the diamonds vanish and he will just show up right next to us like nothing had ever happened," Katherine explained.

"Everyone ready?" Katherine asked with Alexis and Martha standing next to the kitchen counter. She was a few steps away thinking Rick will show up in the middle. Katherine held up the sheet of paper she had written the spell on and began reading aloud. Martha had to give her credit; the words she used meant nothing to her. And while Alexis had heard them twice now, they didn't mean anything to her either.

The whole thing was rather uneventful. No big flash of lightning, no big puff of smoke to cover it all up. Actually there was no sound at all. However, right in front of all of them stood a very much alive Richard Castle. He was even in the tux he had been buried in.

" **DAD!"** Alexis launched herself at him and hugged him for all she was worth. Martha literally shrieked and held her hands over her mouth to prevent another one. Katherine simply sagged in relief, happy that her wild plan had actually worked.

"Alexis? Mother?" Rick put his arms around his daughter who was crying and shaking in his arms. He looked down at Alexis or at least he thought it was Alexis. Looking around he was confused. "Where am I?" He recognized the room but somehow it just wasn't right.

"RICHARD!" Suddenly he had his arms full of both of them; they were weeping uncontrollably. Martha pulled back and held his face in his hands and just let the tears flow. "My boy, my darling boy," Martha simply said then kissed both of his cheeks and hugged him again.

"Someone care to explain to me what's going on? And what did you do to your hair Alexis?" It used to be long and more orange than red let alone being this short. All he got in response was Alexis calling him "Dad" and hugging him even tighter. "How did I get here? The last I remember I was in Paris. And what is up with you two? I haven't been gone that long," Rick said somewhat exasperatedly while still facing into the kitchen as he was crushed in a double hug. He soaked it up for a moment, but the moment was over as far as he was concerned. "Not that I don't like hugs, but _what is with you two?_ And where are we?" Rick was lost.

They both let go of Rick and worked on wiping away their tears. "This is home Dad," Alexis said succinctly. "Doesn't look like any home I know." Alexis's allowance couldn't pay for this even if his mother joined her. "Home? ...When did I leave Paris?" This place definitely didn't have the look of Paris that he remembered. "We live in New York, Dad." Alexis was confused and if anyone had looked at Martha they would have seen she was as well. Bewildered, he asked, "Since when?"

"Uh oh." Katherine was sure this was her fault. The sound of a new voice made Rick spin and see Katherine just as she whipped the paper with her spell on it behind her back. "This is your home? And who are you?" Rick had never seen her before. "Dad?" Alexis was still confused by his reaction. "This is Katherine and you're here because of her," she started trying to explain. "You brought me to New York? Why?" Rick didn't understand.

"Richard..." Martha wasn't sure just what to say. "What do you remember Dad?" Alexis asked him which got him to turn back around. "I left our place in Paris to attend some book signings; Gina was with me since she insisted. I had finished for the day and I was going to go somewhere but I just can't seem to remember where." Rick scrunched up his face and tilted his head as if that would help.

"There was...something." Rick could almost remember it and then it was gone. "And what have you done to your hair?" It was bold and he kinda liked it. It was just that it made her look more grown up and that was a problem for him. "Like it?" Alexis ran her fingers through it. "I cut it and dyed it a bright red not long after... not long after you died, Dad." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the floor.

"Try that again. Do I look dead?" Was that some kind of sick joke? That Alexis was on drugs never even occurred to him. "Mother?" He didn't smell alcohol either. "Wait here Dad." And Alexis ran for the master bedroom.

"And who are you again?" Rick asked having turned around to watch Alexis run somewhere. However Alexis was back before Katherine could say anything. "Here." She placed a trip-like binder into his hands. Rick opened it and started looking at what was inside. In it he found photos of someplace in Paris, he knew that. He saw other photos of them, Gina, and others at a cemetery attending a funeral. He turned the page and saw an obituary from the New York Times. His obituary. Then he saw _his own death certificate_ on the next page. Taken aback, he pulled it out to look at it. "It's a fake," he asserted confidently. It had to be a fake, he was alive, so why would these two think differently?

Nevertheless Alexis was shaking her head while his mother started in on a new set of tears. _"_ _ **I'm dead!?**_ _"_ He had to be dreaming! _'Yeah, that_ _'s_ _it_ _..._ _T_ _his_ _is_ _all a dream.'_ he thought in relief. Just where did the lovely woman behind him come from? He didn't remember ever seeing her before.

"You died 7 months ago Dad. ISIS suicide bombers blew you up," Alexis told him through the hands over her mouth as she fought back tears. He looked at his mother and all he saw were more tears. "They killed you Richard. They walked right in and blew themselves up killing you and many, many others. The pain was so much my darling, so very much." Martha's wall was crumbling and collapsed when she found herself in her son's arms. Her very much alive son.

It was too much even for him. People didn't come back from the dead...unless. He fumbled with his shirt cuff placing fingers on his wrist looking for a pulse. "I'm a zombie!" It had to be the answer since he couldn't find his own pulse. However Alexis began laughing while even Martha chuckled. It sounded so much like her dad. "So _not_ a zombie?" Rick questioned and watched Alexis shake her head. "Guess that explains why I don't feel the urge to eat your brains," he tried to joke though he _was_ just a little hungry.

Alexis wiped at her nose and rubbed her eyes. "Kat brought you back Dad. It was all her." Alexis loved her even more and was going to thank her for this for the rest of her life. He turned to look at her. "Who are you again?" Rick still didn't understand. Dead, really!? "My name is Katherine Houghton Beckett and I'm a Druid who brought a spell from home back with me." Katherine brought the paper from behind her back and showed it to all of them. Rick stepped closer and ran a finger over what was there. "I don't understand a word of it," he admitted as he looked at it. "It's written in magic which has its own language back home. Only some people can read it," Katherine told him.

"So this, _spell_ is what brought me back to life?" Not that he was convinced he was dead in the first place. "Wait, you said 7 months. What is today?" Instantly he was sidetracked. "It's May 14th, 2016 Dad. You died November 13th of last year," Alexis answered his question quietly.

He tried to wrap his mind around it all. "Who are you again?" Rick was back to Katherine. "She's the reason you're alive Dad. She went to her world and memorized the spell, copied it, and it worked." Alexis shot her arms out towards Katherine.

"That piece of paper?" Rick didn't believe a word of it. "This and $1.25 million in diamonds," Katherine said as she pointed at the countertop which had all of them turning to look only to find all but a few of the diamonds gone.

Rick picked one up and Martha moaned at their loss. She had plans for those diamonds, however if it brought her son back to life she'd buy them all over again. "This doesn't look like $1.25 million in diamonds," Rick pointed out the obvious. "They were used up as part of the spell. There had to be a cost involved," Katherine informed him and Martha.

"Who bought the diamonds?" He looked at Alexis with a 'Please don't tell me you stole them' look. "I did actually, all of them," Katherine told him. "I'd do it again if I had to," she said and meant it. She would have done it till she ran out of money, or came damn close.

"I was dead, really dead...dead?" Rick was coming around. "And you did this why?" How did this lovely woman fit into this. "Kat is with me Dad, we're together," Alexis told him and looked at the floor for a moment before finding the courage to look at him. "Together, like girlfriend together?" Rick meant friend, no more than that. Alexis walked over to put an arm around Katherine and she did the same with Alexis. "Together Dad. As in I'm in love with her," Alexis beamed.

Rick felt his mouth fall open. His daughter was...GAY!? But she'd had boyfriends. Granted one of them was someone he hated and she had finally seen the light and dumped him, but GAY? He needed a drink. First he was told he died and now his daughter was gay. Was it late enough in the day for alcohol? He decided it was late enough somewhere so he moved into the kitchen and found a glass after opening several cabinets and then started looking for the hard stuff. "Where's the Scotch in this screwy place." It wasn't Paris after all.

"We only have wine." Alexis pointed to the wine cooler which made him sigh heavily. He poured out a big glass and drank half of it immediately. "And why am I dressed like a penguin?" Rick looked down at himself and the tux he was wearing.

"We buried you in your best tux." Alexis tried to look apologetic since the tux was the most expensive suit he owned. "So I'm buried in the ground somewhere?" Rick questioned. "Not anymore Dad." Alexis smiled widely and felt Katherine hold her close. Alexis rested her head against Katherine's shoulder.

"Well I'm going to go change. I can change can't I?" Rick wasn't sure since he didn't live here, or at least he didn't remember living here. "Oops." Martha knew what that meant. Alexis was shaking her head. "You were dead, so we got rid of all your clothes. Sorry..."

Rick stared at the three of them. He was dead, now he's alive. He wasn't in Paris and now he didn't have anything to wear. What else was there? "I guess I'll have to go shopping." It was the obvious answer. Alexis, however, was shaking her head again. "You were dead Dad. You don't have any ID and you don't have any money." She and Martha had all of his money. Well, what was left of his money after the IRS got their hands on it and the estate taxes were paid.

Rick drank the rest of his wine in one big swallow and refilled his glass. Being dead sucked!


	43. Chapter 43

**K and K 43**

Initially they were going to take a taxi but Martha wanted to come with them. She had watched her son, her now very much alive son, appear from thin air and was only just beginning to accept that it happened because of Katherine's magic. She was really afraid that he was going to up and disappear just as fast as he had returned, if not faster, so she wasn't letting him out of her sight.

"Car service?" Rick questioned after Alexis called for one that would hold all of them. "You used them all the time Dad," Alexis told him. "I did?" He didn't remember ever living here. This place sort of looked like him but he didn't remember any of it. On the ride to a men's clothing and shoe store, his face was glued to the side window as he watched the buildings go by. It felt like he knew this place and yet he couldn't name a single building.

"Home in Paris was large but not as big as that place. It had a living room area, one big bed in a separate room, large closet, nice bathroom, there was even a kitchen. It was way up high and I had to take an elevator to get to it," Rick said. "Was your bed made each day? Did you get new towels every day? Never had to clean a thing?" Alexis asked and watched him nod. Martha took hold of his hand and squeezed it between hers. "That was a hotel room Richard, not a home," Martha told him gently.

"Was Gina with you the entire time?" Alexis asked since she had gone to Paris with him but not to the theater where he had been killed. "Not in my home, no. Why would she have been?" Gina was his publisher and she was good at her job. She had her own home in Paris. They were prevented from answering because the car stopped. They got out to go purchase some clothes for him. Alexis and Martha noticed that his choice of clothing was good quality and expensive, though his choice of colors was still debatable. Eventually they left with 6 sets of clothes including underwear, socks, and tee shirts along with 2 pairs of shoes and a coat for now. Rick had reached for his wallet and found his pockets empty; actually all of his pockets were empty. He had to watch his daughter hand over a credit card to pay for it all. He had money, he remembered that much.

Getting back up to the loft was easy. "If I lived here where was my room?" Rick asked since he wanted to change and get out of this penguin suit. "Um..." Alexis looked at the master bedroom that she and Katherine now shared. "This way Richard." Martha took the lead. She took him upstairs and sent him into Alexis's old room. "This was my room?" Rick questioned since it didn't feel anything like his. The bed was barely big enough to hold him. It did, at least, have an attached bathroom that he could use.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"I'm really sorry Alexis, I don't know what I did wrong. I screwed up." Katherine hung her head. His memory loss was her fault, she just knew it. Then Katherine found herself in Alexis's arms. "Dad's alive Kat, that's more important than his remembering where he lived. He remembers me and Grams. He knows his own name." Alexis was happy about that. "But he shouldn't have to be this way Lex. I must have drawn it wrong somewhere." Katherine relaxed and let her hold her up. This was not the result she had envisioned. "He's my dad, Kat. He really is. So he's a little lost right now. But that'll change, you'll see." Alexis had her dad back and she loved Katherine just a little more because of it.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They saw a lot of Cloud Giants on the way to the room where the mirrors were being stored. They were given pins that went on their clothes. "Best not to lose these when you come back unless you like dying." Kate would have thought it was a joke except for the Cloud Giant's serious face. "Take your time and leave when you please. I'm told Guri has impressed upon you to verify that you can find your way back," he said. "Several times, we'll be careful," Rick assured him. He turned and left them in the room with their mirror. Each of them gazed into it. What they saw were frozen walls, frozen floors, and a frozen ceiling, all made of ice with a little snow thrown in. "Anyone notice anything?" Rick asked. "We can see everything,"he said, offering a hint. "We don't need our dark vision goggles. At least not yet." Kate caught on. "It means there's an opening somewhere close and the sun's presently out."

"Time to get dressed," Kate told them and began pulling her winter clothing out of her backpack which freed up some space inside it. "It feels weird not having Dapper and Storm." She was used to having a wolf around.

Kevin stepped through the mirror and they watched him walk around before walking back out. "There's a mirror on the other side the same size as this one. However that one's built into the wall and is surrounded by ice," he informed them. "So long as it doesn't suddenly start melting, we should be fine," Rick spoke up. "Oh, and it's cold," Kevin remarked. Even with all of his clothing, he felt it on his face and could see his breath. At least the girls had the **Rings of Warmth** and the guys had the **Boots of the Winterlands**. Kevin went through first with Kate next, followed by Jenny, Rick, Lanie, and finally Javi. The girls didn't feel a thing however the guys did. Their faces were soon pink from the cold.

It didn't take long before they found themselves outside; there was snow everywhere. They were on the side of a mountain and saw an even bigger mountain range in the distance. Rick pointed at something a ways away. "Smoke," he said. "Two more," Kate added. "Looks like they're down in the valley but why so far apart from each other?" Javi wondered. "Lots of pine trees." Javi indicated the areas that also went up the mountain they were on.

"I don't see why we're here," Kate said, puzzled. There was no fighting, no Dragons in the air, actually no sound at all. It looked peaceful. "If this Lolth is as bad as they seem to think, this is a trap." It was too quiet, too peaceful, for someone so evil to be involved.

"Left, center or right?" Kevin asked since they needed to get moving even though it looked like the sun had just come up. A plus was that it wasn't presently snowing. "Left. It's the farthest out and if we need to search each of them, I'd rather be close to our way home if something goes wrong," Kate said decisively, wanting a quick way out. So they went left.

They found out trudging through the snow wasn't that hard. "Just think if we were doing this without snow shoes." Kate could just see each of them shoving a foot into the snow up to their knee and do that over and over again.

They didn't stop for lunch since they wanted to get as close as they could as fast as they could. "It's getting dark early," Javi mentioned. Since it only took seconds to set up their tent they just kept walking. Still darkness hit them fast. Since this wasn't their world they weren't used to it. Rick set up the tent and everyone went inside. Jenny set up her personal tent since it gave her hot tea, food, and a mini fire to go with theirs.

"I gotta go," Javi suddenly announced. "I'll come with." Kevin thought he would be needing to go soon. Since they were on another world Kate thought it was a good idea for them to use the buddy system. But Javi was back inside in an instant. "You need to see this," Javi told them and went back outside. The others filed out after him and looked directly at something in the night sky most of them weren't familiar with. "I think it's a gas giant, which means we're on a moon in orbit around it," Kate informed them. It filled the sky and while it was dark out, it wasn't that dark. The giant planet was mostly yellow and orange with a few other colors thrown in here and there. "It's gorgeous," Jenny murmured, staring at it. "Welcome to another world," Kate commented while chuckling since she was from a different world.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Morning came just as fast as the night had and they were still a little sleepy. They all dressed then Rick took down the tent. "Is that a storm coming this way?" Lanie asked and pointed to a moving wall of white. "If it is, it's a small one," Javi commented. "A localized one, but why is the snow falling up instead of down?" Kate didn't understand what was happening. Everyone pulled out weapons including Jenny with her little dagger. "I think it's tunneling right at us," Rick warned just before a skeleton as big as Guri rose up out of the snow. It had a massive ax in one hand and was wearing armor and a helmet. Its eyes were black and hollow looking. It even had a number of arrows poking out of it. It howled a horrible howl. Jenny and Rick cowered at the sound of it.

Lanie lifted up her holy symbol of Pelor. "The light of Pelor will keep you at bay!" Lanie held it prominently for it to see. The symbol actually did cause it to pause. It was a long enough pause for Javi to hit it with his two magical weapons three times. Kevin was able get in a hit with his whip. It howled yet again, dove into the snow, and was gone. "What the hell was that thing?" Jenny was still shaken. Kate, however, was spinning in place looking for where it had gone. Although she was vigilant, she wasn't able to stop it as it came up out of the snow next to Rick and cut his back wide open with a swing from its large ax. Rick screamed and fell to the ground, the white snow quickly turning red from his blood. Kate spun her staff, smashing it in the knee cap. Then she used her staff to trip it, causing it to fall to the ground. That gave Lanie her opening as she ran over and struck it with her mace. The skeleton crumbled into dust dirtying the white snow.

Lanie lifted her staff and touched Rick, healing all of his wounds in an instant. "What the hell was that?" Jenny asked again slowly recovering from the howl of that thing. "It was undead I can tell you that. I told you could thank me later," Lanie said. Kate put her arms around Rick and held him tight. "You alright?" She looked at him anxiously. "My back's itchy, but otherwise I'm fine." He tried to scratch his back getting nowhere. Kate went behind him and gently scratched his back for him. "Any guesses what it was?" she asked since she knew he had read a lot, only to feel him shake his head. She buried her face in his neck and kissed him while holding onto him. He and Jenny were physically the two weakest members of their group having the least armor even though Kate herself wore none. Her speed and abilities gave her her armor.

Since Rick was all right they continued their journey. They were walking toward the smoke in the distance. Not long after they began, they started coming across ruined walls. Some were stone while all that remained of a few were pieces of wood. It was like walking through a maze to get to the smoke. "Javi, does any of this look familiar? There's an inn over there, store over there, maybe a house or two," Kate said. "Lanie, babe, use your boots and go straight up just for a minute then tell us what you see," Javi asked her.

She went straight up, rather high. She only stayed for several seconds and was on her way back down. "It's a city, a really big one. Maybe as big as Silverymoon. There are remnants of walls everywhere." Lanie landed. "It looks like the smoke is at the edge of the city that way, kind of in the middle that way and far to the end that way." Lanie pointed to each spot.

"However she did it, Lolth has destroyed an entire city." Rick thought it through aloud. "So what kills an entire city?" Kate questioned.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"What ever it is, we need to figure it out quickly then get out of this place," Rick said urgently and saw blank looks even from Kate. "This used to be a city filled with people. That skeleton used to be a live being at one time and now it's undead." Rick gave them a little lead to figure it out. "OH BITE ME!" Kate had caught on. "A city full of dead people that might be undead now." And finally everyone else caught on. "Undead people, undead animals, undead monsters..." Rick trailed off as he listed what could be around here. They headed for the smoke with a little more purpose than before, their eyes even more open. Kate wished Dapper and Storm were with them. They had proved to be really good at alerting them to a potential danger.

As they got closer they saw some still standing buildings with people up and about. They looked to be putting up banners over the main large walkway. "At least they look human," Kate whispered. They had been spotted and four of them came running their way. They looked like they were dressed for early spring instead of full on winter. "Welcome, welcome, you are just in time." Then he started laughing. "Yes, yes, just in time," another mentioned and joined him in his laughter. "Come, come! We have lots of food, plenty to share." One of them began running while the other tried to grab Kevin who was still out in front. After missing badly he took off running, still laughing. "Lots of food, lots of drink, we have plenty." The first one ran away leaving them with just one who smiled wide as he walked with them.

Kate and the others knew they had puzzled looks on their faces and she couldn't do anything about it. These people were screwy. "They're short more than a french fry for a happy meal," Kate mumbled and yet again got a couple of looks from her friends. "The elevator doesn't go all the way to the top? ...Not the brightest bulb in the box? ...Not the sharpest knife in the drawer?" She got nothing. "You mean 'About as sharp as a marble?'" Rick queried. "Yeah, that," she confirmed, thankful that he was catching on to how people in her world talked. They still wondered about those odd townspeople.

They made it to a communal square with a banner of celebration hanging overhead. "Food, drink." Their new friend waved his hand at the large table filled with things. Most looked like pies. There were pitchers filled with drink and lots and lots of cups made mostly of wood. "Eat, drink." Not wanting to anger these people, Rick and Kate picked up a pie and found a knife to cut it while Lanie poured a drink. "Babe, this pie is made from mud," Kate whispered and dipped her finger into it to show him. "I wouldn't drink the water either," Lanie advised them quietly then poured the dirty water into yet another cup. "Good food, good drink." The man picked up a mud pie and started shoveling it into his mouth with his hand while another drank his dirty water and poured more.

"These people are depriving some village of an idiot." Javi finally got it. "What are we celebrating?" Kate questioned as more people ate mud pies and drank dirty water. "The end, of course. The end is only three days away. It will finally be over." And he started laughing and stuffed his face with a mud pie. "Is it in the mud maybe?" Javi whispered to Lanie who shrugged. Kate took Rick and grabbed Jenny as they walked further into town while the others followed. The town, if it could be called that, turned out to be smaller than they had initially thought. It took almost no time at all to exit it.

"What is wrong with these people?" Jenny finally felt safe to speak out loud with no one else around. "The end he said. The end of what? Their lives maybe? If they keep eating dirt, it'll come sooner than they think and it's going to hurt," Kate asserted. "This place is frozen, so where did they get the water even if it _is_ dirty?" Rick mused as Javi began walking on what he thought was a trail. "They've been this way a few times." Javi could see foot prints in the snow.

"WOW!" Javi came up short while the others piled in around him to see what he did. In the distance a large mound of ice jutted upward from the otherwise flat plain at the bottom of a valley. A plume of steam swirled around the ice concealing the area around it. The trail took them right down to it, and while it took a little time, they were soon a lot closer. They could see that the mound was actually an enormous iceberg situated in the middle of a small lake. The lake was shrouded in steam while the surface of the lake bubbled in spots. There was an ice bridge from the shore of the lake out to the iceberg which had a cave entrance just above the water line. "Now we know where they get their water and likely the mud," Javi commented. "Shall we explore?" He indicated the cave entrance then started across when he saw enough nodding heads.

Javi was out in front with Kate next. As they walked across the ice bridge the steam began getting thicker making it difficult to see where they were going. There were vague shapes flapping in the steam. Suddenly the air was filled with high-pitched crackling as several small winged bat-like things swooped in and attacked as they passed by. Javi unsheathed his two swords while Kate spun her staff. It literally went through one of the bat creatures like it didn't exist. Another set swooped in and scratched both of them so they knew they were real. Javi was ready for the next pass and found his three blows going through one of them. Kate's staff did the same thing. "What the hell are these things?" The area lit up as Rick shot out a sweeping fan of flame that burned away the steam forcing whatever they were to go away with the steam. "Thanks babe." They didn't appear to be dangerous, just a pain in her ass and Javi's face.

Making it across the ice bridge, they found the cave actually sloped down a little into the water. They would be forced to wade soon if they wanted to continue. Kate poked her staff into the water finding it was about 2 foot deep. "Okay, so it's not an instant drop off to our death." She got her fingers wet next. "And it's warm, like hot springs warm. Melting the ice kind of warm."

The entrance went on for a few feet then actually went up a little so that the depth of the warm water was ankle deep. The entrance opened into a large open ice cave. It looked to be about 100 feet long by 60 feet wide with the water ending about 80 feet in; there were three openings in the distance. Three clear blue stalagmites emitted a soft blue light that lit up the entire cave. "Look at the walls." What Javi saw were carvings in the ice. Polar Bears, seals, otters and even some fish. It was a great contrast to what they were expecting. The city looked like Lolth had hit it, but this place!?

Suddenly a long creature with many legs and a large head with a countless number of sharp looking teeth crawled out of the side tunnel to the right. It reared up on its multiple hind legs and hissed at them spewing frozen air/ice. A voice boomed, "What do you want?" which immediately got their attention. They kept an eye on the creature and looked at the new person who walked out of the center tunnel. "Is he...is he made of ice?" Javi whispered hoping he was just loud enough for Kate, who was next to him, to hear.

"What do you want? Speak now or become food for my friend here," he bellowed. "What happened to the city and its inhabitants?" Rick called out from behind them. "You must not be from around here not to know," the man said in a softer voice. "We have traveled far it's true, but what happened?" Rick asked again.

"I am Zilrus, come with me." He turned and started up the tunnel. "Uhmm." Kate nodded to the creature still spitting at them. "Agathar go to your room," he told it and they watched it drop down onto its feet and crawl back into the tunnel to the right. "He's my friend and guards the entrance; occasionally one of the city dwellers will get brave or stupid enough to enter and he takes care of the problem," Zilrus explained. Kate made a face since it sounded like he was willing to let his pet just kill people, so why not them?

"What is it?" Rick was curious. "He's a Frost Salamander. We followed a herd of creatures out here from the mountain and simply converted this area and watched." And he kept walking. The tunnel widened out a little but there was nothing but chunks of ice. It soon opened into a much larger area than the last one and had three exits out of this room. It was easily 60 feet long by 20 feet wide. The walls were filled with several more ice carvings. The floor was smooth and easy to walk on. Only the ceiling at just over 20 feet high was unworked.

He turned right and went past a tunnel on their right where growling could be heard. He noticed them paying attention to the sound. "I rescued a family off the mountain and gave them a home. Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone." He continued past it.

Rick took a peek and waited for a moment, making him last in line. He was finally rewarded with a view of who or what was inside. His eyes opened wide. He had read about them but had never seen one before. It was large and tall with long arms, massive paws that had long claws, and a mouth filled with teeth. "Yeti!?" Rick whispered as he hurried to catch up to the others.

They followed Zilrus into a large room that appeared to be his living room and bedroom. It was about 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. It had a mismatched furniture, table, chairs, cabinets, all made of ice. The walls were filled with ice sculptures of not just animals, but locations, it seemed. There was even a bookcase carved into the ice that held a number of real books on its shelves. "Please sit and I'll tell my story." Zilrus sat on the bed and waited for the others to find a place to sit. The men started to find their rear ends getting cool while the girls were comfortable. The fact that they did sit told him much.

"I was content and sleeping in my home in the mountain when someone came and melted out the heart of the mountain. Doing this freed a hoard of nasty creatures that came down out of the mountain bringing cold with them and freezing everything. The city out there fought them and had a few victories, but they were no real match for them. Still they had done well overall. The city was destroyed not just by the hoard but also by the cold. It would appear that the place had been nice by human standards. This lake is fed by a volcano below it and keeps the water warm even today."

"Eventually the city was all but defeated and broken into three distinct areas. By now only the Queen herself survived and has retreated back into the mountain to lick her wounds. When she finally comes down to loot, kill, and destroy what is left, the human city will be gone. After that I don't know." He finished weaving his story for his guests.

"What is she then?" Rick questioned. "She is the queen of her race, a monstrous creature of great size and strength; she is a Remorhaz. Agathar is a distant relative of her race. Having tremendous power and strength, she is able to freeze that which she wishes to. She loves fresh meat that she can easily swallow a person whole and is completely and utterly evil," Zilrus explained.


	44. Chapter 44

**K and K 44**

It had been a month and they had learned a lot in that time. Rick knew how to cook, he just didn't know where everything was. Not the pots, glasses, dishes, or even where everything in the refrigerator was. Though one day Alexis had come out of the master bedroom ready for school, thrilled to find her dad cooking breakfast. He was cooking again this morning. "Hi dad!" Alexis hugged him from behind and buried her head in his back, beyond thankful to have her father back. She had been thanking Katherine in every way possible for a month, even though Katherine felt she didn't deserve it. She let go of him finally. "What are you doing?" Alexis took a peek. "Pancakes!?" She even saw chocolate chips sitting on the counter. "What are we celebrating?"

"I have another appointment today with my lawyer and I might get to rejoin the land of the living. Just when I was thinking about getting a Zombie costume, too." Rick smiled widely. "You don't need a costume for that Dad," Alexis teased. "Oh, very funny! Perhaps I'll eat all the pancakes," he threatened. "You wouldn't do that Dad." Alexis knew better. "And why is that?" Because now he was actually thinking of it. "I'll file a complaint and have you charged as an unfit dad," she teased him again and fought to hide her smile. "I'm dead; do your worst daughter." Rick called her bluff.

Alexis was almost done eating when Katherine joined them. "Chocolate chip pancakes?" She held her stomach to try and calm it down. "Don't knock them till you try them Kat. Dad used to make these for special occasions," Alexis countered. That made Katherine think. "You're going somewhere today. Something about finding out how much longer you have to be dead, I think." Katherine tried to remember. "I WILL return to the land of the living," he proclaimed. "That sounded better in my head." Rick didn't know where he went wrong. "You're already alive Dad. See you later, I have class." Then she hugged and kissed him followed by doing the same to Katherine and was out the door.

"How goes the writing?" Katherine asked him. "Derek Storm will save the day, _again._ " Rick sounded kind of off. "That's a good thing, isn't it? So what's wrong?" Katherine questioned him. "I'm getting tired of him. I know everything he's going to do next. Every shot he's going to take, every woman he's going to bed with. Every dollar he's not going to make. He's boring." Rick slumped in his chair. "Then change him. He runs across an ancient artifact that changes him," she suggested. "Like you did, I mean the other you did," he said, since he knew everything now. Martha knew everything so it was best to include him in what had happened.

"Something like that. ...Okay, maybe not a change he wants, make it a curse. He runs across a modern day witch that he dismisses out of hand and she curses him. Changes him, memory loss maybe. Make him something other than a human. My world has lots of different creatures. Choose one and maybe combine it with his memory loss." Katherine thought he could relate with the memory loss, put his experience with it to use.

"Like get bitten by a spider and gaining spider-like abilities? It's been done already, besides Batman could kick his butt." He wasn't a fan of Spiderman. "Maybe he's given a green ring?" He tried it on for size then shook his head. Been there, read that, had one. "Okay so maybe he's bitten by something other than a spider, something that changes him. Changes his body in some way. Give him something along with a handicap that he has to learn to overcome. Become a new Derek Storm," she proposed and watched his face as he dreamed up ideas. "Bitten, ...changed, ...THAT'S IT!" He thought he had it and was striding toward the study that he had taken over again since that was where Alexis had told him he had done all of his writing. He came to a halt then turned around to kiss Katherine on the head and hurried toward the study again.

"You're welcome," she murmured after he was long gone. She wondered just what he had dreamed up. It did, however, leave her wondering what to do for the day. Veterinarian classes that Alexis was still taking were beyond her and it was too late in the semester to start the basic classes that Alexis had already taken that she hadn't. Kate had and they had been able to transfer some of those classes, it was just that Kate had taken those classes and not her.

She was just starting to look over her Xanth series to see what book was next when the phone rang. "Hello. Yes, this is she." Katherine listened for a minute. "REALLY? I would love to!" She was almost hopping up and down in her excitement. She listened for another minute. "I'll be there, thank you so much. I won't let you down." She hung up the phone, clutched her hands to her chest, and spun around in joy.

She started tomorrow morning and she had Martha to thank for the idea which Alexis had pushed her into. Now she had a job of sorts. She was a volunteer so she didn't get paid, not that she needed the money. What she did need was something to do during the day. She was going mad sitting at home all day. This was going to change that for at least three days per week.

Rick was typing, Alexis was at school, and Martha had left even before any of them had gotten up. Something about a rehearsal for a play in which she wanted a part. Katherine started smiling remembering how Martha would walk around the house practicing her lines or just words that she would say with different emotions behind it. She shook her head. Martha was just...well, Martha. Unfortunately it left her with no one with which to celebrate her news. "I GOT THE JOB!" she told the loft. Though it still left her with what to do for the day.

 _ **Stork Naked**_ _\- Surprise_ _,_ _the Golem,_ _is_ _an expectant mother who has just lost her brand new baby! For Xanth, little ones are actually delivered by a storks! And the stork assigned to deliver Surprise's eagerly awaited Bundle of Joy has inexplicably refused to surrender it, flying off instead through a hole in the fabric of reality. Now to track down her offspring, Surprise must lead an ill-assorted assemblage._

Katherine's internal alarm went off and she checked the time. "OH GREAT!" She marked her place, put her book down, and went into the study to find Rick typing madly away. "Perfect. I get into a zone while reading and he gets into a zone while writing." She shook her head. It also reminded her that she had yet to read his books. She had found out that he had written a lot more than just the two at the home in Fiji.

"Rick," she tried softly. She tried yelling and still got nothing. "He's going to be angry," she told herself then shoved his arm which caused him to make an error and stop typing. "What did you do that for?" Yep, she was right, he was angry. "If you don't hurry you're going to miss your appointment and remain dead," she told him. "GREAT!" It was one thing she had noticed over the last month. No one in this house cursed. He still sounded angry though. Just what he was angry at she didn't know. At least her interference had gotten his attention. He fixed his mistake and typed something then saved his work and closed the laptop.

"Let's go!" Rick announced, since to get around he needed a chaperone. He had no ID and only the money his daughter or mother had given him, so he relented and was willing to let Katherine come with him. She gathered up her things and stuffed them all into her pockets since she didn't see the need of carrying around a purse like other women did. One quick and silent taxi ride later and they were sitting in his lawyer's office, waiting.

"Mr. Castle, he'll see you now," the receptionist informed him. "I'll wait here," Katherine told him and watched him go through the door.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick was cooking dinner just as Alexis and Martha came in through the front door at the same time. "I'll be right down," Martha said to Alexis who nodded.

It was feeling more like home each day to Alexis. Her dad was alive, even though he had memory loss. He was cooking more often, too, though he seemed down lately. Alexis was dropping her bag in their bedroom as Katherine came out of the en suite wearing a towel having just gotten out of the shower. "How was school?" Katherine asked as she gave her a quick kiss and headed for the closet.

"Normal, I've got homework again," Alexis grumbled. "I'll help you, I promise." Katherine hooked her bra and slipped on her panties. "Oh, I got a phone call today." She showed up at the entrance to the closet and Alexis saw her bouncing on her toes. "And?" Alexis wanted to hear it even if she was getting a loud hint. "I got the job! ...Three days a week, six to eight hours a day!" Now Alexis was dancing with her. She launched herself into Katherine's arms and kissed her. "That's fantastic! When do you start?" Alexis was so happy for her. "Tomorrow bright and early. They want me there an hour early so I can sign some forms, so I need to be there by 6:00 am." That was the part she wasn't looking forward to. True, in this world she was Kate but to Alexis she was Katherine. With Alexis's help she had been learning about her past, Kate's past.

"Where's Dad?" Alexis had headed right for the bedroom when she came home so she hadn't seen him though she vaguely noticed the wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. "Cooking last I saw him." And she went back into the closet to get dressed. "Did he tell you what he found out?" Alexis couldn't wait. "Go ask him Lex, he's _your_ father," Katherine countered which sent Alexis to the kitchen. "Hurry up Grams," Alexis whispered to herself, since she was bursting at the seams with impatience, nervously waiting to find out.

Alexis went to the kitchen and saw he was wearing one of his new outfits. They had gone shopping again to get him more clothes. This time, in addition to other things, they had gotten him a designer suit that they hoped he would be needing later. "What did you find out Dad?" Alexis decided not to wait for her grandmother; her dad could just tell her twice. "Set the table please, I'm finished cooking," he said, ignoring her question and pointed to the cabinet with the plates. Alexis groaned, but she took the hint and started setting the table just as Martha and Katherine joined her.

Dinner was great as usual. "What did he say Dad?" Alexis had glared at him throughout the entire meal. "Let's clean up." Rick was enjoying himself. "DAD!?" she pleaded. "Oh, alright." He took out his almost empty wallet. It had some cash and one other thing. He pulled it out and placed it on the table. "You got a drivers license?" That was more than Alexis had hoped for. After looking at it, she said, "It's a photo ID." It was a let down, but at least it was something. "Is this all?" They needed a new lawyer if this was it.

"My DNA test results came back proving that I'm me, so I can expect to get a Social Security card in the mail soon. My death certificate has been rescinded and as soon as I get that card I can go in to take my drivers license test. Both the written and driving tests. I was thinking of taking the Ferrari for the driving test," Rick teased and waited.

"DAD!" Did he _want_ to fail the test? When Alexis saw the crack of a smile she threw her napkin at him and stuck out her tongue. Martha had a question. "What about Gina, Richard?" He was a writer and Martha knew he was writing again, liberally interspersed with a fair amount of non-writing activities as usual.

"He got me an appointment with Black Pawn tomorrow just before lunch, and thanks to Katherine I've even got a new book idea to present to them." Rick gave credit where credit was due. "That's great Dad!" Alexis was happy and it made Katherine smile. Anything to make up for her screw up. "What's it about?" Alexis was dying to hear this. "Oh no, daughter of mine, not until Black Pawn approves it." Until they were willing to look at it and hopefully publish it, he was keeping it to himself. "DAD!?" Alexis moaned only she knew he wasn't going to give in. "Fine, but I'm going to get you for this," she huffed.

"Best of three?" Rick offered smiling widely while arching his eyebrows a couple of times. "You are so going down," she taunted. "You're all talk and no action, pumpkin," he fought back. "HA!" Alexis knew better. "What are they talking about?" Katherine leaned towards Martha. "You'll see dear. You can watch out of the way with me," Martha offered, knowing just what was coming tonight.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

All of them were grumbling softly since they were walking right back towards the mountain they had just left yesterday. Only instead of entering the cave towards the bottom where their mirror was located they had to climb up to a plateau to find the entrance to the Queen's lair.

"Do we believe him?" Kate questioned as Rick set up the tent just as the sun was going down. It would be dark in seconds. "Do we have a choice?" Javi countered. "While I'm not a fan of going into her lair instead of fighting her out here, we're on a time limit if those nuts in the city are correct," he added. They had just two more days before she emerged from her lair and finished off the people in the city. Then who knew what she would do. She'd probably move on to another city and start all over again. But she was alone now, right?

Their tent blended into the snow nicely so they went with having just one person staying up throughout the night by using a tag team method. Javi was still up just after breakfast and Rick took down the tent.

"Our cave is there and where we want to be is there." Javi pointed up the side of the mountain. "So we climb." Kevin took hold of Javi's **R** **ope** and sent it up then began climbing. Once Kate was up, he took her **R** **ope** and did it over again.

They skipped lunch so they could reach the top before it got dark again which happened fast there. "Think this is the right opening?" Javi questioned because he saw at least two more, one of which was higher still. "Supposedly this Rhemoraz is really large even if she is long and multi-legged. I vote that one." Rick indicated another opening. So Kevin was the first one into that opening with Kate not far behind him.

Kate was thinking they were getting rather deep into this mountain just as Kevin showed up and made a display of putting on his **R** **ing of** **I** **nvisibility** getting her to do the same thing before moving forward. It was when she saw tunnel split ahead of her that she literally ran into an invisible Kevin. "You take left and I'll take right," Kevin said quietly and she felt him gently shove her that direction.

They had all been using their night vision for a little while, trading their snow blindness goggles for dark vision ones for those that needed to like Kate. Not long after starting they both found roughly worked stairs leading down to a landing with another set of rough stairs to another landing. Once they both reached this space they stopped and said, **"WOW!"** Kevin had an opening to his right that was 15 feet wide and even taller, while Kate had one a little further on to her left of equal size. However it was what was in front of them that was impressive.

The ice itself seemed to glow everywhere filling the space with a really soft light. The space was truly massive. It was easily 80 feet wide and 100 feet long before it opened up into a space twice as big. They needed to talk and both of them found the others so they could decide what to do.

"Each side has an elevated walkway of ice along with the walls and ceiling, all of which glows," Kate informed them. "The space is massive. There's a floor in the center between the two that looks to be 100 to 120 feet down with no visible way down. Question is left or right?" Javi said. "Without going in deeper it's difficult to tell which side is better or how we get down to the bottom. The first opening outside is way off to our left, so right maybe?" Kate suggested wanting to get deeper into the mountain.

Rick pulled out his two **W** **ands** and gave everyone **Stoneskin** that would last for a few hours. He used up his **Wand of Invisibility** and cast it aside then got out his new one to finish. "I can still see everyone so don't be surprised if I suddenly touch you to get your attention," Kevin said. It gave Kate an excuse to have the same thing done when she could afford it. Being invisible and being able to still see her friends sounded just so cool.

Kevin took a quick trip into the opening to the right before coming back urging the others to pass it by since that direction split into two large openings. He wanted to avoid a labyrinth and get everyone lost.

The ledge they were on curved to the right and opened up into an even larger space with an even wider upper ledge. It was there that they saw three things. One was that there were several ice columns from floor to ceiling. Eleven of them with one being three times wider than the others. Second was a set of rough stairs leading down. Third was that staying on this level had another four openings for them to explore. Three of which might be large enough for Kate to get through.

"Take the stairs down," Kevin said and went first. This was where the girls, who didn't have **Boots of the Winterlands** , found the floor treacherously smooth. Too smooth actually and they were forced to hang onto one of the guys. Naturally Kate took Rick, Jenny took Kevin, and Lanie took Javi.

It started out going straight before it curved and went deeper into the cave below the larger entrances above them. It was just as they reached the bottom that they all saw something that piqued their interest. It was a city-sized pile of treasure filled with coins, jewelry, paintings, armor, shields, and a number of miscellaneous items that formed a giant pile. "I'm in love!" Kevin exclaimed softly. The only problem was the massive Rhemoraz that was resting partly on it. She looked to be easily 30 to maybe 40 feet long. Since it was curled up on itself it was difficult to get a good idea just how long it was. Though seeing the size of her head, mouth, and eyes wasn't hard to do. It was easy to tell that Zilrus wasn't lying about her ability to swallow someone whole.

"We need a plan, that thing is easily 70 to 80 feet away over solid ice that looks just as slippery as the stairs were," Kate warned. "Take my boots babe. You need to be able to move for combat while I need to be standing farther away and casting spells," Rick offered then changed boots with her even though hers which thankfully adjusted to his feet since they were magical as well. "We split into three groups of two. Rick and Kevin, you two take the left and go around the large ice column. Javi and Lanie, you take the front since you two have the best armor along with Rick's **Stoneskin**. Jenny and I will take the right and go around the other large ice column. Since Kevin can see all of us, he'll signal when Rick starts us off. Then we all throw our **Elemental Gems** to keep her occupied while we attack from the flanks."

"Hopefully we can kill this thing before it kills us. Just keep Lanie alive so she can use her staff if needed," Kate told them, a serious look on her face. They each get started with Rick and Kevin going first since they had farther to go. They were followed by Kate and Jenny who went hand in hand since Jenny was slipping and Kate wasn't.

Rick thought about the spells he had for the day and what he would do to get things started. He was standing there waiting for Kevin to give him the go signal. Everyone but him was holding an **Elemental Gem**. The others had ready one **F** **ire** , one **A** **ir** , one **W** **ater** and three **E** **arth**. It still left each of them with two more **G** **ems** to be used as necessary. "Start when you're ready," Kevin whispered softly and touched him with a free hand that soon after had his whip in it. _'Hit it first and hard,'_ Rick thought.

A _Lightning Bolt_ spell got things started as everyone saw a crackling bolt of lightning come from nowhere initially but Rick instantly showed up as his spell zigzagged across the space and struck the Rhemoraz who was resting from her earlier wounds.

Seeing the lightning was the signal for everyone to throw their **G** **ems** which broke and attacked instantly. The sudden assault woke up the Rhemoraz. She reared up with her head high in the air, forcing most of the **E** **lementals** to move forward to still be close enough to strike. One of the **Earth Elementals** was attacked and in just one swallow, it was gone. Kevin threw another **G** **em** and got a **Water Elemental** to take his place while Javi fired two arrows causing him to become visible. He cursed when both arrows bounced off of her armored plates.

The Rhemoraz reminded them of a giant centipede with a large head that had spines about 6 feet long jutting out of it. Also the chitinous plates on its back started glowing red hot and actually produced heat.

The **E** **lementals** got in another strike just before one of the **Water Elementals** suddenly turned into a slab of solid ice. " **Fucking A!** " Kate whispered, frightened and amazed at the pure power that this creature possessed. Being turned to stone was one thing and could be fixed, but being turned into a slab of solid ice? That might be certain death.

It was at this time that another _Lightning Bolt_ erupted from Rick and struck the Rhemoraz and yet she still didn't cry out in pain, leaving Kate to wonder just what it took to kill this thing. It was then that they heard Javi's **H** **orn** blare and four crazed human barbarians suddenly showed up and attacked the Rhemoraz from all sides.

"Keep hold of your **G** **em** and be ready to use it. If things look bad and our **E** **lementals** and barbarians start to diminish, you can think about using your new **S** **taff** ," Kate told Jenny. She herself pulled out several of her Manticore spikes that she still had and just waited and watched for now.

In less than a minute all four of their barbarians had been swallowed whole while the last **Water Elemental** suddenly became a slab of solid ice. Rick had fired a _R_ _ay of_ _F_ _ire_ and found that it did absolutely nothing to her. It had forced him to use his two _Magic Missile_ spells and was not out of useful spells. He had an **Earth Elemental Gem** in his hand getting ready to throw it.

Kate noticed that the Rhemoraz was finally bleeding. Still she wondered what it took to kill this thing. Also they were noticing that the **Fire Elementals** didn't appear to be doing much damage. When they were down to just three **E** **lementals** , one of which was **F** **ire** , everyone threw another **Gem**. Doing that gained them five **Elementals** , two **W** **ater** , two **E** **arth** and one **A** **ir** , all of which immediately attacked. Javi found that his arrows just kept bouncing off of her armor plates, which made him curse in frustration.

Kate could see more blood when suddenly the Rhemoraz reared up, dove into the ground then disappeared into a tunnel of her own creation. The **A** **ir** **E** **lemental** turned into a tornado and followed her, while the **Earth Elementals** just stood where they were since everything was ice. The **Water Elementals** simply became a stream of water and followed the **Air Elemental** and the Rhemoraz into the hole. Rick ordered his **Earth Elemental** to take up a place behind him while Kate did the same with hers. They looked around to see where, or if, it would come back to the surface.

It was all quiet until the Rhemoraz burst from below and in the process swallowed Javi whole as he disappeared down her throat. Lanie screamed in anguish then moved forward to bash the Queen with her mace. The **Air Elemental** came out of the hole and attacked as did the two **Water Elementals**. The two **Earth Elementals** moved over to get in a single attack. Jenny decided it was time and pulled out her **Gem of Brightness**. She used its next to last charge and shot a ray to try and blind it. The Rhemoraz however simply shrugged it off.

Kate started throwing her Manticore spikes and watched them bounce off her armor plates. Jenny then used her **S** **taff** to try and charm her and found that it also didn't work.

One of the **Earth Elementals** was bitten in half followed by a **Water Elemental** being turned into a slab of solid ice. Kate ran at the Queen and leapt up to strike her in the head as hard as she could with her hand. Rick had talked about her having a Ki ability and she hoped it would work here. Kate landed and watched her start blinking her eyes while the remaining **Elementals** continued to pound her. Kate leapt straight up and hit her in the neck just where the head attached to the body and was rewarded with her still blinking her eyes. **"Die damn you!"** Kate screamed and took advantage of the Rhemoraz seemingly being stunned to jump up again and put everything she had into hitting her once more.

Kate was rewarded with watching her start to fall, and was all set to start celebrating. **"OH SHIT!"** she managed to get out before the Rhemoraz crashed down on her.


	45. Chapter 45

**K and K 45**

Kate didn't know how long she'd been out but she woke up lying on the ice with her upper body in Rick's lap, her head on his arm. He was looking down at her while crying a river of tears. Kate slowly reached up to hold his face. "Hi?" The sound of her voice made him cry harder as he bent over to kiss her. She could taste his tears in the kiss.

Minutes earlier:

Lanie was on her knees sobbing inconsolably while Kevin and Rick hacked at the Rhemoraz's head with their daggers. Jenny, however, was the one thinking for a change and had an **Earth Elemental** and a **Water Elemental** digging Kate out from under the Rhemoraz where she had collapsed on Kate.

Rick and Kevin were still hacking away at her head when suddenly a sword appeared from the inside the beast. Both of them ran over and started cutting away from the outside as Javi used his short sword, cutting away from the inside. Javi suddenly spilled out from her innards. He had a deep cough from all the slime that covered him as he tried to get air into his lungs. Lanie crushing him didn't help any. "Let him breathe Lanie!" Kevin tried to get her to back off. Still crying, Lanie held onto Javi for all she was worth.

" **KATE!** "Rick suddenly yelled. He ran over to where Jenny was giving directions to the **Elementals** who were digging for all they were worth. Finally Jenny told him to try and pull her out. The time of the **Elementals** had run out and one by one they vanished. As tears ran down his face, Rick held Kate in his lap. He sat on the ice ignoring his freezing ass.

Back to present time:

"Rick?" Kate tried to talk and coughed up blood as she did. Immediately Rick pulled a potion off of his bandolier and had her drink it. It was quickly followed by another. He had yet another in his hand though it was a weaker **Cure Light Wounds potion** when Kate stopped him. "I'm fine babe, thanks." She tried to sit up but Rick wouldn't let her. "Did we win?" She was still a little out of it. He laughed, tears still running down his face, and nodded. "What about Javi, we lost Javi!" she cried frantically. Now it was Kate's turn to weep, her lower lip quivering. She didn't love him like she loved Rick but he was a friend and a good one at that.

"He's over there." Jenny was standing over both of them. Kate turned her head and saw him being tightly embraced by Lanie. Then she watched her hand Javi a potion to drink. "I take it we won?" Kate asked asked again, not remembering that Rick had affirmed that they had. She also wanted to find out how Javi managed to survive being swallowed whole. "Yeah, we won. I think we're all out of **Elemental Gems** again, but yeah, we won." Jenny answered. "I think I hate Rhemorazes," Kate stated decisively. She saw Javi still being hugged by Lanie while Kevin watched over them.

"Babe, can you let me up please? I'm getting wet down here" Rick got up and helped Kate to stand. "And why is my butt wet anyway?" Kate asked as she began looking around as did Rick and Jenny. "It's melting," Jenny commented. "The Rhemoraz is dead and everything is melting." Kate was frightened. "Babe, our mirror out of here is embedded in ice!"

" **OH FUCK ME!** "His language made a smile flit over Kate's face; she was rubbing off on him. "We need to get out of here," he warned them. "It's a long way and what about the treasure?" Jenny asked.

"Kev, you're out in front. We need to get out of here and through that mirror before it all melts and we can't reach it. Lanie, you and Javi go with him, we'll be right behind you," Kate yelled. The sound of urgency in her voice got them up and moving carefully across the melting ice toward the stairs which were the only way out.

"Open your **Black Hole** ,babe and we can start loading it all in till we need to run for it," Kate suggested. Rick reached in his coat to pull out the **Portable Hole** and unfolded it next to the pile. They started moving things with their hands, throwing everything they could reach onto the **Portable Hole** , no matter what it was. The problem was it was getting wetter and water was starting to drip on them. "We have to go babe." Rick looked at all that remained and even saw some really interesting things. "NOW BABE, NOW!" she yelled which got them to stop. He folded it up and they ran for the stairs.

Last time they had walked slowly, this time they ran. Suddenly a section of the ledge in front of them gave way. "Now what? That's our only way out!" Jenny terrified of dying here. "The Labyrinth, go back and take the first right." Kate started pushing them. The first right took them into a side cavern. The space was almost full of oblong things sitting on the floor. They had to go slow to find a way around each of them. "What are these things?" They were each just a little taller than Jenny and too big around to wrap her arms around.

"I think they're eggs," Rick said as they continued moving. "OH BITE ME! Are you telling me that thing was pregnant?" Kate was shocked and scared at the same time. "How many eggs can a Rhemoraz lay?" she questioned just as they cleared this hatching ground and began to run around to the right only to find still more eggs. "Hundreds I'm guessing," Rick replied since there looked to be a lot. Kate pulled out her last **Elemental Gem** , which turned out to be a **F** **ire** **E** **lemental**. "Rip open every egg you can find," Kate ordered it as Rick and Jenny did the same, with only on of them getting a **Fire Elemental**.

They came out the far opening and found the others at the stairs leading out. "Pull out any **Elemental Gems** you still have and order them to destroy any egg they find," Kate told them. Rick saw their puzzled faces. "Just do it and let's get out of this egg infested place." The look of shock at his words said that they were scared as well. Unfortunately, out of the three of them they only got one more **Fire Elemental**.

They ran till they were outside and saw a fair amount of water running down the mountain. "How do we get down in time?" Jenny asked fearfully, since only Lanie could fly. "I have a **potion of** **F** **lying** ," Kevin announced and handed it to Jenny. "What about you?" Jenny didn't want to lose him. "Any of you done any tobogganing?" Kate questioned them and pulled off her winter coat. She jumped on her coat feet first and started riding it down the side of the mountain. She held onto her makeshift sled for all she was worth. She was trying desperately to guide herself away from rock outcroppings. Rick was right behind her with Kevin next, followed by Javi. Jenny drank Kevin's potion and Lanie used her boots.

Jenny and Lanie were actually losing ground to Kate and the others as they were flat out flying down the side of the mountain. They saw Javi hit a large rock that the others had missed. His left leg hit it hard causing him to scream in pain. He had a compound fracture that was leaving a trail of blood all the way to the bottom. Lanie crash landed next to him when they reached the bottom and touched him a few times with her wand; his leg was healed quickly. "Everyone up and into the cave. ... NOW!" Kate yelled and started pushing Rick and anyone else she could reach toward the mirror.

Kate was last in and was rewarded with seeing Javi, still favoring his leg, run into the mirror just before she did. She crashed into everyone; they'd fallen on the floor of the mirror room. "Made it!" She turned over onto her back and just stared up at the ceiling. That was as close as she cared to come to dying. She got up on her hands and knees. "Come here," she demanded then kissed Rick soundly. "We're screwing our brains out when we get home," Kate told him softly and then kissed him again.

They were still sitting on the floor when two Cloud Giants along with Guri entered the room.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They had talked for hours, telling Guri everything about their journey only to have to repeat it all to a Cleric and Magic-User. Then they had to do it all again for Yuri. "We still have 4 more mirrors. Go home and rest, do what you wish. We will be in contact if we require your help once more," Yuri advised them.

Since the entrance to his home was just around the corner, so to speak, it took almost no time to get to their home. "I'm taking a shower," Jenny announced then grabbed Kevin. "And you're coming with me!" She dragged him upstairs. "There better be enough hot water for this because we're showering too," Lanie said to Javi who still favored his leg a little going up the stairs. Kate grinned at Rick. "Hot shower?" he asked. "With you inside me, my back up against the shower wall, and my legs wrapped around you? Damn straight." Kate took his hand and escorted him upstairs to their room.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The next day they opened the Portable Hole and started emptying it to see what they had. Kate, Rick, and Jenny had stayed behind and risked getting at least a small portion of the Rhemoraz's treasure. There were a number of things that some of them decided to keep while other things would end up being sold.

Kevin - Very magical **Elven** **Mithral Chai** **n** **Shirt** that allowed resistance to cold

Kate - Silver and gold ankle chain and a matching wrist bracelet.

Jenny - Platinum bracelet, **Ring of Force Shield** (which increased her amount of magical armor)

Lanie - A pair of silver and amber earrings

Rick - **Wand of Fireball** that only had 6 charges left, **Wand of Mirror Image** that had 44 charges left, a scroll that had two spells on it: _Spectral Hand_ and _Blindness/Deafness._

Javi - A very magical and powerful short sword that had _Disruption_ on it, just like Lanie's mace.

There were 100,619 gold pieces worth of coin in total. They naturally had a mix of coins in the **H** **ole** : platinum gold, silver, and copper. "We were in a hurry!" Kate defended what they had managed to obtain without having the time to pick and choose. None of them had any idea just what they had been forced to leave behind. Still their haul gave each of them 16,769 gold pieces along with a few silver and some copper. Combined with the 15,000 gold pieces they had gotten per person from the Cloud Giants for doing this gave them 31,768 gold pieces each for this little adventure plus what they already had. They were smiling since they had more gold pieces to buy things with, maybe more powerful items this time.

Kate smiled as she took Rick back upstairs to fuck his brains out. She needed to be pregnant and have given birth to their baby before she traded places with Katherine again. Whenever that would be since she had little to no control over the timing of it.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

A quick trip to Silverymoon and they had everything sold then went on a buying spree.

Rick - **Headband of Intellect** ( it increased his intelligence and allowed him to memorize more spells including the more powerful ones) That morning he had also found that he understood more spells out of his book that he had gotten from his father. He was becoming more powerful. He also purchased another three **Elemental Gems** : **Fire** , **Earth** , and **Water**.

Jenny - Three **Elemental Gems** : **Fire** , **Earth** , and **Air**. She had three **G** **ems** spinning around her head that didn't harm her vision. One was **Pearly White** in color and allowed her to recover her health very quickly should she be injured. Another was **Pale Lavender** and would absorb a certain number of spells up to a maximum power level that Rick had just learned he could cast. The last was **Iridescent** and allowed her to survive without air.

Javi - Sold his **Belt of Giant Strength** and bought one that increased his strength even more. He also bought a **Necklace of Fireballs VII** (The most powerful necklace that was available.) He also had _Blending_ added to his armor. (It allowed him to blend into the background and worked much like the **Chameleon Ring** Katherine used to have. Then he added _See Invisibility_ that was made permanent with another spell.

Lanie - Three **Elemental Gems** : **Fire** , **Earth** , and **Water**. She also had _Fortification-Greater_ added to her armor which increased the strength of her armor against sudden and devastating attacks.

Kevin - Three **Elemental Gems** : **Earth** , **Water** , and **Air**. He had _Distance_ added to his whip ( this increased the distance he could hit someone with using his whip. It was now 30 feet away instead of 15 feet.). In addition he got _Speed_ added to his whip. (This allowed him an additional attack each time he attacked)

Kate - All her life she had been a saver, hence her having just over $450 million in another life that Katherine was living. So she kept all her money.

They each still had a fair amount of money that they saved for any dark days that might be coming. They arranged for another delivery of feed for the dogs and horses along with a wagon filled with food for themselves. They loaded the rest of their supplies onto their pack mules. Once home they went back to pouring spices; they'd purchased yet more pony kegs to fill and loaded them onto the pack mules. It had turned out to be a solid and dependable means of income each month.

Kate also got to work in one of the spare bedrooms. She'd already measured Lanie and Jenny and started patterning new bras for herself, Lanie, who was difficult to fit, and Jenny, who was more difficult to fit. Once their patterns were drawn, she cut out the various pieces.

Kate was sewing Jenny's bra first since she likely needed a new one more than the others did. "I hate her," Kate muttered while sewing the pieces together. Actually she was jealous but she wasn't going to tell anyone that, let alone admit it to herself. It didn't help any when she held the finished product up against her own chest.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick was a little nervous. Okay, maybe a lot nervous. His stomach was doing somersaults and other unwanted things and this was only in the elevator leading to Black Pawn's office. "Relax Dad, you're going to be great. They're going to love your new book proposal." Alexis took hold of his hand. He had succumbed to Alexis's pouting and explained his idea for Derrick Storm, well actually two ideas since he hadn't actually settled on one. Though it had occurred to him to have Derrick take on a partner which was his other idea. Maybe it would even be a female to add a little sexual tension to the story.

Since Rick was so very nervous, Alexis spoke to the receptionist. "I'm Alexis Castle. We have an appointment to see Gina Cowell." They were asked to wait in Conference Room B. Alexis placed a hand on her dad's knee while Katherine sat on her other side. "Relax Dad, Gina's your ex-wife. She'll be happy to see you." However the reaction she got wasn't anything she'd anticipated. Rick turned to look at her with surprise written all over his face. "Ex-wife!?" he almost yelled. "You mean I married Gina? Why in the world would I do that? ...Was I really that stupid? Why didn't you stop me?" He glared at his daughter. Alexis's mouth fell open. However, before she could say anything they heard, "Richard!?" Gina was standing in the doorway and had heard everything. Right now she was a mixture of fury and shock.

It took an hour for the three of them to explain how Rick had gone missing and that someone else was buried by mistake. "So I'll summarize. You didn't get blown up by the suicide bomber, you only had amnesia and were living in Paris all this time doing your best to get by when your memory returned enough to get you home. It wasn't you in the casket that was buried?" Gina tried to understand his story. "It was a closed casket, Gina, so no one except the people at the mortuary ever actually saw him, or what was left of him." Alexis stated. It was true to a point. She didn't tell Gina that her father's body had been identified using DNA which was the big hole in Rick's story. "And you have amnesia about the entire event." Gina didn't believe that for a second.

She picked up Rick's leather portfolio with his synopsis and first two chapters for the next Derrick Storm novel in it and read through everything. Derrick Storm was suddenly a vampire after being bitten and turned during his latest case. He went through the changes finally working out that his new affliction could be beneficial in his new life. Plus he had met someone who was concealing that she was a vampire like he was hiding being one himself. He was smitten with her and she was showing interest in him. Except neither of them felt secure enough to display their mutual attraction. They were so scared of what could be that they hadn't even kissed yet.

Gina threw it across the table back at him and watched it slide and fall into his lap. The look on his face made her smile inside, not that she would ever show emotion on the outside. "It's crap Richard, Black Pawn would never publish this." Gina tried mightily not to grin at his fallen face.

It actually wasn't that bad of an idea. It had everything a story needed and vampires and/or werewolves were hot right now. So sending Derrick Storm into that world might actually work out. But she had heard every word her ex-husband said and it was time for some payback. Being divorced was bad enough but to hear him question why he had been stupid enough to marry her in the first place was too much for her to take. She would wait for him to come crawling back, begging her to submit it to Black Pawn before she broke down and edited it. He had to pay for his comments.

Unfortunately she hadn't anticipated that this was a different Richard Castle than she remembered. "Let's go to our other appointment, maybe they'll like my idea." Rick stood up and picked his leather portfolio. "Appointment?" Gina questioned since it sounded like her plan was about to blow up in her face. "I was willing to give Black Pawn first shot at my new book, however at their urging," Rick waved a hand at Alexis and Katherine, "I made an appointment with a different publisher who is interested in my work."

Gina saw that the older woman looked indifferent. However the look Alexis was giving her would kill a raging bull elephant. Then she started smiling which was even worse. "Bye Gina, don't call me, I'll call you," Rick informed her and they filed out of the conference room. "I've always wanted to say that," he confided as Alexis, Katherine, and he exited the conference room not seeing the look on Gina's face.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was a week later and Rick was sitting at the breakfast bar with Alexis to his right and Katherine on her right. "No classes and no job at the zoo today?" Rick questioned.

"Nope," Alexis responded. "Nope." Katherine mimicked Alexis which earned her a grin from her love. "If we had the time it would be nice to go out to the Hamptons." Rick wanted to go to his other home. Well, it was Alexis and his mother's home actually.

They had attended another meeting with his lawyer. He might be back in the land of the living but too much had changed in the time he'd been dead. Nothing was in his name anymore and it would take years and a lot of money to correct all that. Plus getting the IRS to give back the taxes that had been paid just wasn't going to happen. "You could spend every penny Alexis and Martha have just to get that money back and likely you would still lose. This _is_ the IRS we're talking about here." His lawyer delivered the bad news.

However it wasn't all bad.

They were all interrupted when Martha came in carrying a heavy load and wasted no time in placing her numerous newspapers down on the counter.

" **Richard Castle** **B** **ack** **A** **mong the** **L** **iving** ," one headline read.

" **Richard Castle** **D** **umps Black Pawn** ," read another headline.

" **Richard Castle has a new** **Derrick Storm** **in the works** ," was a secondary line.

Rick picked one up and started reading it while Alexis did the same. Martha simply draped a hand on his shoulder. "This one says Black Pawn fired Gina, Dad!" Alexis was grinning widely. She thought Gina deserved more, but this was a good start.

Rick was still smiling at what he was reading knowing that his new publisher had given him a $2 million advance for his next book. He even had plans for the one following his new book already. Derrick Storm had been reborn and was going to live a new life, much like him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living kiddo." Martha was blinking back tears and did something she didn't normally do - kiss her son's face. She had lost her son and had gotten him back. How she was going to repay Katherine for this miracle was still in the planning phase, but it was going to be _Epic!_


	46. Chapter 46

**K and K 46**

They had noticed that Storm was most definitely pregnant and asked the farmer, the one Lanie had helped with his burns, to come look at her. If Katherine had been there they probably wouldn't have needed him, but Javi was having a case of nerves and wasn't thinking properly. "What happens when I end up pregnant?" Lanie had asked him. Her question almost had him blacking out from the pressure.

Kate was sitting with Javi after the farmer had left, telling them that she was definitely pregnant, would give birth in around five weeks, and to just let her do what she wanted to do, which right now was nothing. Dapper simply laid there and watched everything.

"May I enter?" A female human they had never seen before showed up at the open entrance to the stable. "Can we help you?" Kate was up quickly and over to her in a flash. "I thought maybe we could talk. Father would like your help again," she said. Kate's eyes flew open. "Guri?" Kate asked softly. "Please come in. Everyone else is upstairs somewhere." Kate escorted her up the stairs with Javi behind them. "Just how many appearances do you have?" Kate questioned her. "As many as needed," was her response.

Soon she had everyone sitting around an enlarged dining room table with her. "This is new." Guri ran a hand over the surface admiring it. "We thought we could use the extra table space and we found this on our last trip to Silverymoon so we had it delivered," Jenny told Guri. "And I see something else is new." Guri looked into the kitchen. That had Kate smiling. "So far that baby is working out nicely. I'm still trying to get a handle on how to use the damper properly, but it's so much better than the other one. I brought the design for it and a couple of other things back with me." Kate smiled in satisfaction. Guri heard "baby or babies," but remained silent though she would have to inform her father about this.

"We have dealt with one of the remaining four mirrors and would like your assistance with another of them. As the last time, you will each be paid 15,000 gold pieces and are allowed to keep anything you find and can return with," Guri informed them. "Please tell me there isn't another Rhemoraz Queen involved this time?" Kate prayed and could see Javi nodding in agreement. "The land is not frozen this time. However, we have been watching and the opposite mirror appears to be a prominent feature of a town or village. It is located in the middle of a wooded public square. The inhabitants have been identified as Gnomes," Guri told them.

"And what are Gnomes?" Kate questions. Did she mean garden gnomes like that thing in the Expedia commercials? "Gnomes are a race of short people who excel in designing new and weird mechanical constructs. The Golems we have are one of their earlier ideas. It's said that they even have flying machines though it's more likely they have figured out to glide. They aren't known around here as being evil but I'm guessing this is a different world." Rick offered what he had read about the local Gnomes.

"You are basically correct and it _will_ be a different world. Most likely these Gnomes are involved with Lolth in some way. As last time, find out what Lolth has planned and put a stop to it. This time it appears to be a heavily forested area, possibly a part of a larger forest," Guri said.

"Give us a minute?" Rick asked her. "Of course. I will be downstairs when you have reached your decision." She stood up and went downstairs.

"Do we take the horses this time?" Jenny prayed since she didn't want to walk for weeks. "It's a mirror." Rick put a hole in her plan. The horses were just too big for the mirror. "It doesn't stop us from buying horses and/or taking horses from the Gnomes if they have any," Kate pointed out which made Jenny happy.

"A heavily wooded area with or without horses," Rick commented trying to think of what they would want most this trip. "Sounds like we'll be outside a lot this time," Javi mentioned. "Better bow and arrows maybe?" Kate asked him. "Except that I'm a two handed sword fighter. I only have the bow for distance," Javi countered, not necessarily shooting her down, just making sure she knew that it wasn't his specialty. "However more **S** **leep** **A** **rrows** for all these Gnomes might not be such a bad idea," he added.

Jenny mused, "I may actually get to use my **S** **taff** and spells for a change, not that I know that many." Actually she only knew _Charm Person_ and _Enthrall._ She could cast any spell for a total of six times per day at the moment.

"Are we making a trip into Silverymoon?" Rick asked. "We need to sell our pony kegs of spices anyway so that will give us a little more gold per person." Kate voted to go and got nodding heads. "We can make choices once we get there. I take it we're accepting the offer?" Rick asked and saw them nod in agreement.

They found Guri downstairs petting one of the horses while Dapper watched her every move. "Hopefully you will be back for the delivery," Guri said, convinced they were going to say yes.

"We have decided to accept your offer. Two weeks to get to Silverymoon and back again?" Rick asked her. "I will inform Father to expect you in two weeks or less. Your payment is over there just as last time," she informed them then left to speak to her father before going back to Silverymoon to take her place there once more.

Like last time, they found a whole lot of gold pieces inside a bag that was far larger on the inside than it was on the outside. They had backpacks that were larger on the inside, a **Portable Hole** , and now two large magical **B** **ags of** **H** **olding**.

Three days later they were leaving their rooms at the Golden Oak Inn in search of what they thought they might want after selling their spices. Each of them had 17,800 gold pieces plus what they already had to work with. "Is there another group item that we might want for which we can pool our gold pieces?" Kate was willing to share after she bought a little something. It got them thinking while they were outside of the shop of their two favorite Halfling's yet again. "Another **Portable Hole** maybe or perhaps another **Horn of Valhalla**?" Rick suggested but saw too many shaking heads. "Another **Golem** for protection maybe?" He offered another option which got shot down.

"What do you have in the way of magical horses?" Kevin asked since Jenny really wanted one, and the Halfling came back with a scroll. " _Phantom Steed_. Can travel really fast, ride over sand, mud, swamp like not there. Can ride over water and level across air. Cross a large canyon if you want. Last for 15 hours. 375 gold pieces," he offered. "Just the one?" Kevin asked and watched him nod.

"We can go across the bridge and see if they have some," Rick said as Kevin bought it for Jenny. Going across the bridge netted them another **Elemental Gem** each plus three for Kate since she didn't get anything last time. Everyone now had 4 of them save for Kate with her three, and another three scrolls of _Phantom Steed_ just as powerful. "We need two more of these," Rick said and was told to come back in five days. They also went shopping with Javi to pick up a couple dozen **Sleep Arrows**.

While they were there they learned about **Javelin's of Lightning**. Javi could fit them in his magical quiver and since he simply had to throw them and they worked much like Rick's spell, so he got four.

It was exactly two weeks later after Guri showed up and they were standing in front of the mirror inside a closed room. They watched for a while then decided what to do. "Perhaps we should do this at night since we'll likely have an advantage," Javi ventured. "Spend some time sneaking around, killing as we go," Kevin said. "Instead of an up front fight like we had with all those Derro," he added. So they waited till it was dark and then waited a little longer. It was probably 11:00 pm there unless it was another moon with short days and nights. Rick got everyone ready giving **Stoneskin** and **Invisibility** to everyone except Kevin and Kate who could do it for themselves when they chose.

"Kevin and I do all the killing unless you have to get involved if we find them sleeping. I don't want Rick using up his wand in this town since we might need it later," Kate reminded them before allowing Kevin to go first followed by herself, Lanie, Jenny, Rick, and then Javi who, like Kevin, saw everyone.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They stepped out and found themselves in the center of a grassy area with a number of trees all around. "Everyone pick a direction, five minutes and then come back here. Five minutes and no longer," Kate told them taking charge once more. Five minutes later Kevin and Javi confirmed everyone was back. After listening to everyone Kate deflated. "Okay, so not a village, more like a town." She had hoped for something small to start off with. "And not just any town, it's a coastal town. I could hear water and I thought I caught a glimpse of a dock," Javi informed them.

"Give me a few minutes." Rick began casting and it seemed to take him a while. "It's a large invisible eyeball that I can see through," he explained as he sent it out and found that it traveled quickly. Like he was running kind of fast.

"I think it's the town hall with the guard barracks and prison next to it," Rick speculated softly as he was facing north. "Just north of the town hall looks to be a very nice home. It's surrounded by trees and has grass and flowers. The trees hide a wrought iron fence. It has several peaked roofs." The eye traveled on. "Stable to the right, no horses outside at the moment. There's a temple atop a hill to the left. It looks like a nice sized place. It appears to have white wash that's in bad shape on it." Rick had the eye go elsewhere.

"Housing and warehouses to the south of the hill the temple's on. ...There are 7 docks in total with one single-masted sailing ship. The others appear to be coastal barges like the Derro had," he added. "A general store just off the docks. The Smooth Sailing Innis across the street. The lights are all still on," Rick informed them and sent the eye onward before the spell ended on him. "Blacksmith just on the edge of town south of here. Tannery and a mill south of that. ...After that are more homes." Then his spell ended. "I didn't see anyone outside," he said.

"When did you learn to do that babe?" Kate was impressed. "Just after we got home I found I could understand more spells in my book. I can also memorize more spells." Rick answered her question which had her smiling at him. "Same for me. Pelor recently granted me spells I didn't know I could have," Lanie added. "I've got two spells memorized now," Javi told them.

Kate sighed. This place was a little bigger than she had hoped for. "We take out the guard building and check the prison area, followed by the town hall, with the fancy residence next on our way to the temple, then south along the docks and board the sailing ship and take care of it. We need to hustle while we still have darkness on our side," Kate advised and they got moving.

The first building was in bad shape and falling apart a little. It had a single heavy door along with a couple of windows that had iron bars on them. The windows had definitely seen better days. Kevin found the door to be unlocked and waited for Kate to be in position. Then he opened the door and she charged in spinning her **S** **taff**. Inside they found three Gnomes that were just sitting around and were taken by complete surprise. Kate and Kevin had them dead and lying on the floor in no time. "Just the night crew," Kate mentioned and noticed all of the cells were empty. It only took a couple of minutes to search the place and find the keys to the cells. Kevin took them in case they needed to use the cells at some point.

The town hall was next. It was made of stone and three stories tall. There was even some light leaking out through closed windows in a few places. "Not locked," Kevin informed Kate and opened it as she moved inside after reactivating her **R** **ing** just like Kevin had done. The building turned out to have about a dozen small offices and actually had four Gnomes tending to paperwork inside four of the offices.

The opulent looking home was next. Getting over the fence was easy since it was strictly ornamental. The home was also made of stone and was three stories tall and had several windows with shutters closed in most places with no lights showing. They entered through one of the unshuttered windows and found themselves in a downstairs den. Just outside the door they found a wandering guard who was quickly dispatched and dumped inside the den. The rest of the floor was empty of people.

"Jenny, if you get a chance, use your **S** **taff** or cast a spell. It would be nice to have someone to question before we kill them." Kate didn't see her nod her head.

They moved upstairs with Kevin first, Kate next followed by Jenny, now ready to cast a spell. They were searching a large open room when in came another Gnome guard who died quickly. There was some nice furniture and art work around the room. "Save for the painting on the far wall, nothing is magic," they were informed by Kevin. Rick took a moment to open the **Portable Hole** , put the painting in carefully, then moved on to the next and final floor.

Another Gnome guard was walking toward them that Kate took care of with no problem. They found one of the bedrooms with two children inside it that Kate had no qualms about eliminating. The last room turned out to have a sleeping female Gnome.

Kate took her time and soon had her pinned to the floor as she complained loudly to get the attention of the guards that were all dead. An invisible Jenny walked over and cast her _Charm Person_ spell then became visible because that was considered an attack. Kate felt the Gnome relax and stop screaming. Kate smiled as she kept her hold on the female Gnome just in case. She was always careful and never took anything for granted.

"Who are you?" Kate started off with something simple. "Lady Ritter," she replied. "Where is your husband?" Kate assumed she was married. "He is at the Temple overseeing its transformation," was the answer she provided. "What is his name and who or what is he?" Kate wanted to know who they were up against. "Adlerman Ritter and he is an accomplished builder," was her answer. Kate mouthed _'Builder?'_ to the others.

"What has he built recently?" Kate asked. "The Colossus," she answered. "And what is this Colossus?" Kate questioned her. "It is a magnificent Siege Machine. It alone can conquer a city of any size. Nothing can stop it." Even charmed she was proud of her husband. "What makes it so special and where is it now?" Kate asked her. "It has a secret weapon and it is already on its way to the first city after destroying a village and two small towns several days' journey southeast of here," she answered. "How do we find it?" Kate questioned since this sounded like the item Lolth would just love to have control over. "Follow the river to the south, through the mountain pass to the city of Silverlake to the northeast," she told them.

Kate was ready to kill her till she thought of a couple of items. "Tell me about this temple conversion. Who are you converting to and who will be there?" Kate figured that place was next in line. "We have converted to our great goddess Lolth. My husband and her Cleric will be there along with workers to complete the conversion," she told them and instantly gurgled blood that she choked on after Kate slit her neck open.

Kate pushed the dead body away and cleaned her dagger on the bed sheets. "Anything or do we move on? It sounds like this Colossus is what we are after," Kate remarked. "Nothing's magic within this room," Kevin informed them. "We should probably go after her husband and this Cleric of Lolth. Do something to the temple if we can perhaps," Rick suggested as Kate nodded. They were supposed to stop Lolth's plans on this world and that meant killing her Clerics.

Getting back out of the building was easy and thanks to Rick they knew how to get to the temple. Since they were all back to being invisible again they decided to use the stairs to go up the 30 feet of height. The building appeared to be a single long structure made of wood and had a single door along with a number of shuttered windows. It wasn't hard to hear workers inside the building since they were making a fair amount of noise.

"Wait here." Kevin tapped Kate and moved down the length of the building trying to look inside before coming back. "There are seven Gnomes inside working. I didn't see any Drow or anyone who looked to be in charge. They're all over the place however," Kevin warned them. Jenny pulled out her **Gem of Brightness** that only had one charge left, Kevin uncoiled his whip, Javi had his bow ready along with a white **S** **leep** **A** **rrow** nocked while Kate simply spun her **S** **taff** and waited for Kevin to open the door. After the door was opened she ran to the far side to get to the farthest worker while Kevin followed and came up a little short of her. Javi simply stepped inside and waited as did Lanie and Jenny.

Kevin took the lead and whipped someone, slashing his back wide open causing him to cry out in pain. This got all the others to attack. Kate had two down in almost an instant. Javi shot two **A** **rrows** and had two sleeping gnomes while Lanie stepped over to one just after he cried out and bashed his head in with her mace.

"Okay. So that wasn't hard," Lanie mentioned only to watch an outside door open. In came an entire hoard of undead skeletons and clothed and partially clothed Zombies. "OH SHIT!" Lanie cursed. Kate was rubbing off on her, too. Lanie lifted up her holy symbol of Pelor. "May the light of Pelor end your pain." After all, being an undead, likely against their will, just had to be painful. She was quickly rewarded by seeing all of them inside the building crumble into dust. But there were more outside. Lanie waited for another large mass to assemble inside the building before she did it again, knowing she could do this several times today. All but four of the zombies crumbled into dust and those four quickly became dust at the touch of her mace. "Looks like we're in the right place," Lanie said and put her holy symbol back under her armor again.

"I don't see him." All of these gnomes looked like simple workers. "Start searching everyone," Kevin said and began looking for something, anything. "Got it!" he called out. "The workers haven't finished hiding it yet," he told them. He found a way to open the floor and exposed a set of stairs headed down. Rick turned everyone he needed to invisible again and Kevin went down the stairs followed by Kate. The stairs ended at a pair of double doors. "They're locked," Kevin announced quietly. He unlocked one of them and peeked inside.

The room was roughly 30 feet by 30 feet. There were a number of doors in the room. Left wall, right wall and on on this wall to either side of the double doors. The room itself was filled with murals that depicted humans being subjected to torture by a creature that was half spider and half female Drow. "Great, more Driders." Kate had heard the tales of the Driders just after the two of them had traded places.

A quick look into the two doors on this wall showed that they were closets that held cloaks in purple with a spider in gold on the back. "This is real gold stitching." Kevin stuffed them into his backpack to be sold later. The door on the left was next. "Locked." Kevin unlocked it then opened the door a crack to look inside. He looked at Kate who couldn't see him so he removed his **R** **ing** and suddenly came into view. He pointed at his eyes, held up two fingers and made a symbol of sleeping. Kate nodded then took out her dagger, keeping hold of her **S** **taff**. She slipped into the room, silently placed the **S** **taff** on the floor, then gave the command word just as she slit the male Gnome's throat from ear to ear.

Her **S** **taff** turned into a large constrictor snake and wrapped itself around the other male Gnome. Just as he was about to call out, Kate slit his neck open wide and said the command word. She picked up her **S** **taff** and activated her **R** **ing** again. Kevin saw nothing magical in the room and left it for Kate to search if she chose then he went over to the last door to look at it. He waited for Kate and checked the door. "Locked." He soon was cursing. "Still locked." Kevin had to deliver the bad news. "These people don't trust anyone."

Rick came over and held out his **Wand of Knock** and expended a charge. He was rewarded with the door crashing open making way too much noise. _'We need to come up with a better way to force doors open or we're going to get killed one day_ _,_ _'_ Kate said to herself and made a mental note to solve this problem.

It opened up onto a set of spiral staircases that went down and deeply down at that. "Okay, so maybe no one heard that," Kate commented softly as Kevin went down the stairs searching for trip wires and the like. It ended at another door that Kevin had to inform them was locked as he cursed yet again. "Still locked. These damn things are difficult," he defended himself. Kate was sure this door lead to something so she was off to one side with Kevin on the other side while Rick was still on the stairs with Javi all the way back upstairs covering their six.

Kate nodded at Kevin to signal Rick who used his **W** **an** **d** to crash the door open. Kate immediately ran inside and found a Gnome just sitting up in bed having heard something since he was a light sleeper. He was still groggy when Kate launched herself at him, right foot first, and shoved him up against the wall where his head hit it. She landed on her feet and quickly did a roundhouse kick to his head that made it hit the wall yet again. He was heavily stunned with a concussion so she quickly pulled out her dagger and cut his throat from side to side.

Kevin had also jumped into the room with Rick right behind him. The room was another bedroom with a bed, a writing desk, and three bookcases on an octagonal wall. There was also a pair of double doors just to the left of this door.

"There are two magical books on the shelves," Kevin informed Rick and pulled each of them out a little so he knew which ones. "Most of these books talk about Demons and Demonology. _Demons and their Ilk_ by Ardan Fein. Baloquist's _Abyssal Numerology and Symbolism as Applied to Mortal Conjurations._ There's even an abridged translation of Iggwitv's _Demonomicon._ " Rick read off some of them and placed book after book into the **Portable Hole**. He was in a hurry so he just tossed as many as he could inside till Kate asked him to stop.

Their library was still mostly empty and Rick was betting he hadn't read any of these books, so he was grinning wide while he tossed them into the hole.

Kate searched the Gnome on the bed and the bed itself. She found nothing of interest on him or on the bed. He did however have a plainly made cloak and robes that suggested he was a Cleric of Lolth given the holy symbol he was wearing along with the tattoos of spiders on his body. She was learning to like having her **Tattoo** ; she had never been this fast or capable before. Maybe having a tattoo wasn't such a bad thing.

"The door's locked." Kevin grumbled as Kate reactivated her ring and took her place on one side of the door. Kevin, however, was cursing again. "I hate this place!" Rick took out his **Wand of Knock** yet again, happy to have it now, which still had a number of charges on it.

The doors crashed open with a bang and revealed a set of stairs that went down say 10 feet at most and they saw a 10 foot wide corridor leading off into the darkness past their 60 foot dark vision, all made of worked stone blocks as was the floor.


	47. Chapter 47

**K and K 47**

Alexis sneaked into the study and found her dad on his laptop except he wasn't typing. So she took a look at what he was looking at. **"DAD!** What _are_ you looking at?" There were pictures of people with fangs and they were biting each other, drinking live blood from each other!

Rick slammed the laptop closed. "Nothing! And I thought I taught you not to sneak up on people." He decided to go on the offensive to cover up what he was doing. "Don't change the subject Dad and you do it all the time, now what was that?" Alexis stayed on topic. "I never!" he defended himself. "Oh really? Do I need to remind you about the time you got that giant telescope and put it outside on the patio at the Hamptons? You said it was for looking at the stars, except it was aimed..." Rick stopped her. "Fine, _fine._ You promised not to bring that up again as I recall." He was still fighting back just a little. "I did until you started looking at that stuff, now what was that?" Alexis wasn't letting him off the hook. He moaned, not remembering his daughter being like this before. He decided Katherine must have something to do with his baby girl changing.

"Storm's getting curious about someone who's just become his partner and he suspects she's a real vampire. He's trying to find a spot where he can..." Alexis stopped him. "You better not be thinking what I think you are." She knew her dad well. "No, it's absolutely not what you are thinking," he said hotly. "I'm thinking that if Storm needs to find a vampire cult that means you do too." Alexis glared at him. _'Okay so_ _she's right,_ _it was what_ _I_ _was thinking_ _about doing_ _. Now how do_ _I_ _get out of this and still find th_ _at_ _vampire cult to do some research?'_ Rick wondered.

"Where's Katherine and are you all packed?" Rick decided to change the subject. "Changing the subject isn't going to save you and Kat will be home soon. She's not due back again at the zoo until Tuesday and I don't need to pack much since I already have clothes and swim suits there. Kat's the only one who needs to pack since she's never been there. What about you Dad? Are you packed?" Alexis questioned. "Packed, right." He got up and headed for the stairs to get to "his" room, the one that was Alexis's old bedroom which still had her colors on the wall. She giggled once she was certain he was out of earshot knowing he had clothes at the Hamptons' house also since neither she or Martha had been there after his death to clean out the closet like they had done here.

Katherine came charging into the loft after taking a taxi home since she refused to even think of using the metro system. "I'm packing, I'm packing!" She hurried past Alexis into the bedroom then into the closet to find one of her suitcases from Fiji. She tossed in three bikinis that she hadn't worn since she had gotten there. That along with some cover-ups, flip flops, a couple of outfits, a pair of flats, a little make-up and other items, and she was done.

Katherine hadn't worn high heels since she had gotten here. There was no need. She was wearing sneakers at work and did the same at home or went barefoot. "Ready, I'm ready." She came quickly into the living room with her bag. "Where's your dad?" She only found Alexis just standing there nursing a bottle of water. "Packing," Alexis told Katherine and did her best to keep the grin off her face. "It's his house isn't it? I mean it used to be his house. Doesn't he have clothes there to wear?" She didn't understand. "Yep," Alexis stated deadpan but was soon grinning while trying to hide it by drinking from her bottle. "Alexis Castle!?" Katherine was catching on. "Katherine Beckett!" Alexis snarked back which earned her a hug and a mouth-searching kiss that left her speechless, wishing for more. "Sex on the beach?" Katherine asked after breaking from the kiss. "HURRY UP DAD, OUR CAR IS HERE!" Alexis yelled, anxious to get there, get naked, and be with Katherine on the beach making her scream, something she loved doing. The car service wasn't actually there yet but her dad didn't need to know that.

Two hours later the car pulled up next to their Hampton home. Katherine was just getting out, her mouth hanging open. "This is nice Lex, really nice. You'd think you were rich or something," Katherine teased. "Dad bought it and we'd spend summers here. Walk the beach, go into town to do some shopping, picnics on the beach, fireworks during the Fourth." Alexis reminisced over her time there with her dad and grams. "We are so coming here over the Fourth of July this year too," Rick informed them. "It's going to be big." He spread his arms wide. It was only about two months away and Alexis was sure her dad was already making plans for it.

"Darlings, you made it," Martha called from the door after hearing the car. "Come Katherine! I've seen your home and now you get to see this home." Martha took Katherine by her arm and escorted her inside and up the stairs. "Richard's clothes are in the master bedroom so we can put you in Alexis's room. Hopefully there's enough space for your clothes." Martha had long since accepted Alexis choosing Katherine instead of a man and even Rick hadn't said much. Alexis was happy and that stopped both of them from questioning her choice.

Katherine moved a few things around to create space and was amazed at just how many clothes Alexis actually had here. It was still a little early in the season so swimming in the ocean was out. But that didn't stop Katherine from putting on one of her bikinis and a long cover-up that hid most everything and hopefully kept her warmer while outside.

Going downstairs she was amazed yet again. The living room was large, though not as large as hers. It did, however, have an open kitchen while hers was somewhat closed off. Much like her home, one wall was filled with windows only in this case it looked out onto grass with a beach beyond. It was outside through those open doors that she found everyone. "This is very nice, green grass and a beach with waves." Katherine walked up behind Alexis who leaned back into her. "It's the feel of the ocean, the soft wind, and the sound of the waves." Rick loved this home and was glad he bought it years ago, even if it had stretched him pretty badly at the time. Given his current circumstances, he couldn't afford it even now.

Rick was looking Katherine up and down wondering just what was under that cover. _'Daughter's girlfriend, daughter's girlfriend.'_ He shook his head to get his mind out of the gutter. It was true that after Meredith he had bedded a number of women. He still couldn't believe that he had married Gina though. His memory was questionable for some things, but just how stupid had he been before that? Thinking of Gina made him think of his new publisher. He had brought his laptop with him so he could get some writing done. He had ideas floating in his head that he needed to get down before he lost them forever.

"The beach is out there. The private, secluded heated pool is down this path. At least it should be heated. ...Mother?" He questioned her since she had gotten there two days ago using a car service. "I'll go turn on the heat." Rick slumped at the look his mother was giving him. "I did go shopping and filled the pantry and refrigerator dear." Martha called out to his retreating form. Alexis smiled since this felt so much like home.

"I love you," Alexis whispered; she couldn't help it. Her heart was healed and expanding each day because of Katherine. Katherine moved her arms around Alexis a little tighter and kissed the back of her head. "I love you too," she whispered back just as softly.

"Eat in or eat out?" Martha suddenly asked. "You can show Katherine some of the town. You two are only here for three days," she reminded them. Classes weren't out for another month or more and Katherine was due back to work at the zoo on Tuesday. "We can spend the entire day in town tomorrow," Alexis suggested and got no complaint from Katherine. "Then we should wash up and get started," Martha replied. "Start what?" Rick hadn't heard all of that. "Kat and I are going to spend the entire day tomorrow in town so Grams has offered to cook tonight." Alexis did her best not to smile as she teased her dad.

"I prefer to not make a trip to the emergency room," Rick said in front of Martha. "Talk like that will not get you my world famous desert Richard." Martha fought back knowing that her cooking skills had never been her strong suit. "We're saved! I'm cooking, fire up the grill Alexis!" Rick headed inside the house. "I'll start dessert," Martha announced and followed him in. "Is that why Martha never cooks at home?" Katherine didn't remember Martha ever cooking, though she did call for delivery a lot.

"Grams means well, but you give her a chance and she'll have an entire container of salt in the pot before you can stop her. She's convinced that if a little's good then a lot must be better," Alexis replied as she extracted herself from Katherine's arms and went over to fire up the propane grill." **DAD!** " Alexis yelled standing in front of the grill. " **DAD!** " She tried again. "What!?" Rick had barely made it to the refrigerator before Alexis started yelling. "We're out of propane," Alexis told him.

"Do you have a fire pit and lots of wood?" Katherine asked coming up with a plan. "Out there, we use it some evenings when it's too cool and make s'mores. Why?" Alexis wasn't catching on. "Sounds like I'm cooking tonight since I can cook on an open fire. What!? I did it all the time in my world," Katherine said staunchly. "Your girlfriend's cooking; you know where the wood is pumpkin," Rick said. "I'll fill the tank after we eat for tomorrow," he offered then went back inside. "I can't be expected to do everything." Not that Martha knew what to do had she known or even where to go.

"It's fine Grams. It'll be a camp out while cooking outside." Alexis took Katherine's hand then showed her to the wood pile and began building a fire in the fire pit. "Do you have a grate to put over the fire?" Katherine needed something to cook on. Alexis's lost look told her no. Alexis had an idea and hurried to the propane grill. "I can remove the grate out of the propane grill!"

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kevin was out in front with Kate not far behind him. The corridor lasted 90 feet and turned right where they found another double door just a couple of feet from the corner. He checked the door. "It's locked." He sighed knowing he hadn't had much luck with these locks. If this was an idea of what Gnomes could create, just what was the Colossus like? This time, however, he was smiling as he slowly pushed one of the doors open. It opened into a set of stairs that lead down and ended in a wall which had him scrunching up his face. _'Have they not finished construction of this place like upstairs?_ _And where was_ _the husband_ _?_ _'_ he wondered.

He went down the stairs and searched the wall. It wasn't easy but he found a hidden door. That struck him as stupid. Someone would obviously suspect there was a door here. He checked the walls, floors, even the ceiling, then went back up to Kate. "The stairs were booby trapped. It appears they're meant to fall away if too much weight's on them which makes sense since Gnomes don't weigh much. It's safe now but there's one more thing, I can hear someone on the other side of the door talking." His news lead them to wait for the others and form a plan.

Kevin did his best to crack open the hidden door just enough to allow Kate to quickly throw in two **Elemental Gems** one after the other. It gave **Elementals** a few seconds to get the attention of whoever was in there before Kate, followed by Javi, then Kevin went into the room. Rick would be next with Jenny then Lanie, who was last.

Inside Kate found two Drow, one male and one female, fighting the **Earth Elemental** while four Gnomes were combating the **Air Elemental** that was already a tornado with two of them in its vortex being spun round and round.

The female was starting a spell while her mate battled the **Elemental** just as Kate hit her in the back of the knee taking her off balance. That allowed Kate to slip her **S** **taff** between her legs and put her on her back hard, her head hitting the stone floor. Javi struck the male Drow in the back three times with his two swords which had him on his knees. The Drow died when the **Elemental** pounded a large hand on the top of his head. It then turned and helped the other **Elemental** with the Gnomes. Kate wasted no time in cutting the stunned female Drow's throat while she laid on the floor.

The fighting over, they had a chance to look over the room and search the dead bodies.

On the back wall was a statue of the goddess Lolth on a pedestal surrounded by a small pool of water. Just in front of it was a sacrificial altar already covered in blood. Carvings on the wall had been started but it was hard to determine what the ultimate goal was.

"Weapons, armor, potions, wand, staff, all magical," Kevin informed Kate who started to strip the Drow as Kevin moved over to the Gnomes. "Again, weapons, armor, and potions, all magical." He left them to be stripped and headed for the door. Lanie meanwhile had begun pounding on the statue of Lolth till it was pebbles in the pool and then began on the base it was sitting on. She took a break before starting up again. "I'm not leaving this thing behind. It's an affront to my god." She suddenly stopped. "Javi, I think I found something, babe." He ran up the stairs to join her as Kate and the others looked on. What Lanie had done was open a small hole in the statue's base. He looked it over and realized that he couldn't remove the base; Lanie had damaged it too severely. "Keep pounding on it, it looks like there's something down there." Telling her that, he stood back to watch.

It took her a few minutes and as she took another break, Kevin managed to wiggle out a small metal case. "I think it's made of platinum," he mentioned and worked on the lock to open it. After he did, everyone stared at the contents. "Hello mama!" Kate said with glee then slowly reached in to pull out the singe gem inside the small box that was lined with felt that held the gem safely. "It's a beauty. I don't think I even saw something this nice in the Wizard of Oz movies," Kate commented and saw the bewildered looks on their faces. "It's a movie...a play, about a world that had a place called the Emerald City. Supposedly the entire city of was made out of emeralds like this one or even bigger." Kate handed it to Jenny who passed it around before it went back in the box and into Kevin's backpack.

There was a set of stairs that went down to a lower level that was 40 feet by 40 feet with a pair of double doors on the far wall. Opening the double door was next. Rick used his **Wand of Invisibility** on those that need it. Kevin found the door locked and was soon cursing. "I'm truly sorry but these Gnomes really know how to build things." He backed away from the door. Kate took her place on one side while Javi moved to the other side. Rick stood next to Jenny who was ready with her spell. He raised his **W** **and of Knock**. They watched as the door crashed open allowing Kate and Javi to rush in.

Inside they found a large room roughly 50 feet wide by 70 feet long. There was row after row of bookcases on the left side and a single small table closer to the door. Just past it was a raised stone fountain filled with water. Beyond that was a large table with several scrolls and loose parchment pages on it. Standing next to the table was a Gnome dressed in simple but quality clothing who turned at the sound of the door bursting open. He wasted no time. Picking up a large vial, he threw it on the table. The scrolls and parchments immediately caught fire.

Kate raced across the way and thrust the end of her **S** **taff** square in his stomach which made him cough and double over trying to catch his breath. Javi ran down one of the rows of bookcases and found no one. Kate jabbed the end of her staff into the Gnome's stomach again to keep him subdued until Jenny could get in there and cast her spell. However Kate wasn't fast enough to prevent him from bringing a hand up to his mouth as he swallowed something. She watched as a white foam dripped out of his mouth. "DAMN IT!" The little shit had committed suicide. Kate kicked him in the side. "You fucking coward!" Kate yelled at him and stood there trying to calm down. Meanwhile the fire grew until Lanie entered and cast _Create Water_ which smothered the fire but also caused a lot of the ink on the documents to run.

Rick was walking up and down the bookcases with a huge grin on his face. "All of these books are about construction, mathematics, chemicals, and physics." He was in heaven. He took out the **Portable Hole** and started throwing in books. "A little help please." Soon Kate was inside the **Hole** , without her backpack, stacking books all around the bottom as more books were thrown in. It took considerable time doing it all herself but eventually all of the books were in the **Hole**. She had to wriggle her way out since it was now almost filled with books and whatever else was in it. "I'm not sure even our library's big enough for all of this babe."

They spent a little more time trying to make sense the partially burnt, soaked documents. Rick threw what he had in his hand onto the table. "I can't make sense of any of these. They're too damaged." He was terribly frustrated.

"It's going to be sunrise soon. We need to chase down this Colossus, whatever it is," Kate said. So they went back upstairs and headed for the stable that hopefully had horses. They had what they wanted and didn't have the time to kill everyone in this town. It was just too big. Ten horses were stabled so they could pick and choose, allowing Javi to make the best choices for each of them. Then they put a fair amount of hay and oats into their backpacks since they didn't know just how far out in front the Colossus was.

Because the town turned out to be on a fair sized lake, they were forced to go down one side of the wide river that went south with a mountain range on either side of the river. It was all downhill from there, literally.

"The sun's going to be up soon. Probably less than half an hour," Javi warned as they mounted their horses. "We spent a lot of time under the Temple, maybe too long," Kate said only to see Rick shake his head. He was pleased they had gone down there and was glad that they had a **Portable Hole**. He wished they had a second one depending on what they found after this.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine and Alexis were upstairs packing to return to New York, Alexis's classes and Kat's job. "What if I don't want to go?" Alexis moaned a little as she threw in a dirty bikini. "We have a washer and dryer here." Alexis held it up before throwing it into her small bag since most of her things were staying just like last time.

"Your bikini wouldn't be that dirty if you hadn't teased me mercilessly," Katherine reminded her. Alexis and her wandering hands had finally caused Katherine to reach her breaking point. She had planted Alexis on the sand and proceeded to have her way with her. "Precisely my point." Alexis smiled and moved over to Katherine to stroke her hands in all the right places that she had learned would wind Katherine up. Katherine squeezed her eyes closed. Alexis definitely knew her hot spots. "Lex, you keep that up and we're going to miss our car," she warned, threading her fingers with Alexis's.

"Interesting how that works isn't it?" Alexis tried one more thing and goosed Katherine causing her to squeal. "Your grandmother's staying for a few more days, so's your dad which means we'll have the loft all to ourselves for a few days," Katherine told her, trying to get her to stop before it was too late. Alexis moved her hands up to cup Katherine's breasts. "What are you waiting for then, get packed." Alexis let go of her and went back to packing. Katherine had her revenge though and goosed Alexis after she turned around, causing her to squeal and both of them to start laughing.

"They're going to be late if they keep this up." Rick was standing at the bottom of the stairs hearing them laugh. "Leave them alone Richard. Alexis is happy, really happy. You didn't see her after she found out you were dead. She began missing classes then wouldn't come out of her room. She wouldn't eat or even call her friends. She was broken Richard, deeply depressed. Even before your miracle, it was Katherine that brought her back to life, and if this next change works out they'll only be 2 years apart instead of the 13 they are now." Martha held onto his arm as they both listened to them laughing.

"You don't have to worry about her getting pregnant. You don't have to scare off the young men she brings home to introduce you to. You raised her not to be afraid and she isn't afraid of what other people think." Martha lists all the good things.

"But it's my job to scare the young men she brings home. Thankfully she's over Pi." Rick slumped. That weirdo had been nothing but trouble for both of them. "Just don't do anything to break them up kiddo or you'll lose your daughter," Martha warned him.


	48. Chapter 48

**K and K 48**

They found out fast that this town was directly on the border to a a nice wide and deep looking river as they rode out of town, all of it downhill. Based on the direction the sun was coming up, they were on the east side of the river and given how wide and deep it was, this better be the right side or they were in trouble.

The ground was too unstable to let the horses run so they were at best trotting or just walking around trees that lined each side of the river. It wasn't hard to make out that there was a mountain range on either side of them.

"Do you guys see this?" Kate questioned as they found a large clearing which allowed them to see into the distance. "Why does the mountain sparkle like that?" Javi questioned as he tried to make sense of it. "That's easy! The mountain's filled with a girl's best friend," Kate announced and urged her horse away from the river and directly at the mountain side. It took them an hour thanks to the terrain but they had dismounted and held onto their horses while watching Kate start to climb.

All she had was a dagger which was getting her nowhere. Iron versus diamonds, it wasn't even a fair fight. A flash of inspiration had her hitting the mountain around the diamond. "Give it up Kate, you can't even fracture it with that thing. It's a diamond," Rick told her knowing that it took a diamond to cut a diamond. But Kate kept pounding and was starting to see progress when suddenly the mountain itself fractured. Her piece of diamond fell to the ground and landed at Rick's feet. He picked it up to look at it. It looked like a monolith crystal. It was multifaceted, about as long as a dagger, and had the thickness of a hammer's handle. Jenny and Lanie were in love.

Kate finally got her hands on it and was staring at it. "There have to be hundreds if not thousands of these things." She was in love. "Maybe we can..." She stuffed it into her backpack. "I want to go home. A real home that I worked hard for. We find this Colossus, we destroy or kill it, then we go home. ...I want to go home!" Kate passed the diamond fever test. She wanted this new life and she was damn well going to hang onto it.

"Now let's go!" She strode to her horse, mounted it, and turned to walk away.

Hours later, just as they saw the river make a sharp turn to the southwest, they came upon several large depressions in the ground. At the bottom was wood and some stone. They were all quite puzzled. The depressions were longer than they were wide and there were a number of them. "This makes no sense. A meteor strike would eject debris in a circle but these things are anything but circular. Nor are they deep enough." Kate was trying to think up another theory. "Hey guys, you should come see this," Javi yelled; he had continued down the riverbank a short distance.

The rest of them joined him and stared in disbelief at what they saw. "Not again!" Lanie moaned. In front of them were a few statues that looked exactly like people down to the smallest detail. In addition, a couple of them were on horses made of stone just like all the others. "Gorgons?" Kate queried. "Javi?" Rick called out his question. "No hoof prints, only those large depressions in the ground. There's even one out near the water," Javi hollered. "So not Gorgons. What else can turn people into stone?" Kate asked him. "Javi, anything that looks like large chickens?" Rick inquired and watched him shake his head. "Okay, so not cockatrices ether." Rick was running out of things that could turn flesh into stone.

"Do you still have any of that powder the Cloud Giants gave us?" Rick questioned Kate who pulled a single jar out of her backpack. She opened it and showed him how much was left. "Maybe enough for one or two at most. Put it away, we may need it later," Rick told her and watched as she put it back in her backpack.

"Lady Ritter said it had destroyed a village and two towns on its way to a city called Silverlake," Kate commented. "This is about the size of a village." They mounted up and followed the river trying to avoid large outcroppings of rock and trees.

It was starting to get late, the sun almost behind the mountains to the west, when they had to stop for the night. They got off their horses looking out over the vertical drop in front of them. The river ended in a waterfall with a drop of at least 200 feet. It thundered into a large lake.

"Guys." Javi pointed almost straight down. Looking down they saw the remnants of a town that had been crushed flat. "Guys, look off to the right and follow the depressions into town and then back out." Javi drew his hand in an arc. "They're footprints!" Kate suddenly declared. "That's why she called it a Colossus! In my world there are legends or stories about a Colossus that was monstrously tall. Hundreds of feet tall," Kate said excitedly. "There was even a movie; I think it was called _T_ _he Iron Giant._ The story revolved around a construct that someone had made. It was monstrously tall and ate iron for food to create power. It turns out it was actually a weapon that had tremendous power to destroy, but it also had a living consciousness and didn't want to kill. Maybe those Gnomes have made an Iron Giant and it's out on a rampage destroying and killing people."

"So they made a metal beast and sent it out to kill?" Javi tried it on for size. "And it eats iron?" Javi was having trouble with that idea. "Well, maybe not iron. Maybe it doesn't eat at all. This world has a lot of magic; who's to say it isn't some magical beast that they made. Lady Ritter did say her husband was a master builder," Kate reminded him. "Iron Giant or no, we need to set up camp soon, and I for one am getting hungry." Kevin said. Rick took out the tent, set it up back from the edge a little, just at the edge of the trees.

Come morning they had to go backward and find a way down instead of just jumping over the side, hoping that the water was deep enough. "Ha, ha, NO!" Jenny declined their invitation which made everyone laugh.

It took some work but they managed to make it down to the town. Everywhere they went buildings were crushed and people and animals were stone. "Javi?" Rick asked him. "Still no signs of hooves, so it's not Gorgons and no large chicken feet either. In fact except for those big depressions, tracks of humans and the animals of the town, I got nothing."

It was strange. "What do people made of stone have to do with something or a spell that can smash buildings flat?" Kate questioned. "At home you would need a nuclear power plant like an aircraft carrier uses. Maybe this thing wasn't built by Gnomes, just repaired by them," she suggested, getting blank faces from all of the off-world references she made. "Sorry, I know you don't know." Kate sighed.

If she was right about the Iron Giant, what was the story behind it? And how did Lolth fit into this? Whatever it was, they went down river searching for it. "Javi, do you see any tracks at all? I mean how did whatever it is get here and where did it go?" Kate called out. Since Javi was their tracker he was out in front for a change while Kevin was in the back. "I got nothing; does your Iron Giant know how to fly?" Javi questioned. Kate shook her head then reconsidered. "Wait, that's not true. It _could_ fly. It chased down an ICBM with a nuke at the top. ...Never mind. The answer's yes, but it only flew straight up." Kate was liking the idea of an outer space construct that the Gnomes put back together, but how did Lolth fit into this? What did she provide?

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They had to set up camp again, only this time they did it beside the river. It had been cool each night but not that cold and all of the plants were fully leafed. The group was also still going downhill.

They were up and on the move before the sun even came up. This Colossus had a head start and they needed to catch up. It was the sound of what Kate said were explosions that had them moving faster, or as fast as the terrain would allow. They reached a clearing on their side of what was a long narrow lake. They looked across to the other side. What they saw was a giant that had to be at least 200 feet tall. It was monstrous!

Everywhere it went it lifted up a foot and smashed a building flat. At the same time either a little red ball would come flying out of its finger and explode into a fireball, or instead of, or in conjunction with, a lightning bolt came flying out and struck buildings or people.

As they watched, people and animals were running everywhere or at least they were until they suddenly turned to stone. "It _is_ an Iron Giant." Kate's mouth had fallen open. _The Iron Giant_ was just a movie. It wasn't even a live-action movie, it was more a movie length cartoon. Yet there it was, stomping and blasting everything in sight.

The river was too wide and deep for them to reach the other side to do anything about it, not that any of them had a clue how to attack anything that big. It never seemed to stop. It just kept shooting fireballs, lightning bolts, stomping on buildings or people, though people turning to stone slowed down mostly because there were fewer people.

They couldn't do anything about it. They just sat there on their horses and watched. For Kate it was like watching a SciFi movie and yet she was involved. "We're in big trouble," Rick whispered softly. "It has to have a weakness babe, _it has to._ The Death Star's weakness was a small exhaust port; Achilles was an undefeatable fighter, gifted and helped by the gods, but he had a weakness and it got him killed. We just have to find this thing's Achilles heel," Kate said determinedly. "David, a simple man with a sling-shot, defeated Goliath, a giant of a man, who could have snapped him like a twig." They just needed to figure out what this one's weakness was.

As it moved through town it left nothing standing. No building and no movement. Anything that did move either turned to stone or was hit by a lightning bolt. Then they watched it step out into the river and travel downstream while the water barely made its way to its knees. "That's why I can't find any tracks, it's using the river to hide them," Javi suddenly realized.

"Can everyone swim?" Kate asked and saw everyone nod except Jenny. "I never had reason to learn." Jenny defended herself somewhat heatedly. "We would sink under all this weight anyway." Javi shot swimming down.

"It's going our way at least. Maybe it will come ashore on our side of the river," Kate offered not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

They were forced to go inland due to the terrain and finally made it back to the river to look around. "Where the hell is it?" Javi didn't see it. "Maybe it left the river on the other side and is in the trees," Kate said. "It's easily three times taller than the tallest tree. Unless it sits down we should be able to see it," Javi countered. They were all looking until a ceaseless, sudden loud noise started up somewhere behind them.

They moved in that direction till they came across a large clearing. All of the trees in the area were lying on the ground. The noise, it turned out, was the Colossus. "It's digging," Javi stated. "Is it powerful enough to go through the mountain to get to the other side?" It was digging alright but it was also eating. "Is it eating the mountain?" Lanie questioned, not understanding why it would be doing that.

Kate tilted her head and watched what it was doing. Even to her it appeared as though it was eating the mountain. A light went on for Rick. "It's eating diamonds." Kate turned to look at him. "OF COURSE! It's eating diamonds as a power source. Like I use wood to generate heat to cook with. It eats diamonds to generate the power it needs to do what it does." She was positive she was right. "The mountains around here are filled with diamonds. It just has to eat and it'll work forever." Javi was catching on.

"Gnomes, gnomes are little guys." Kate was on a roll. "What are you thinking?" Rick asked her. "I'm thinking anything that big has _got_ to be hollow. Being made of metal means it weighs tons, several thousand most likely. If it was solid it would probably weigh too much for it even to move itself." Kate gave them a brilliant suggestion as to how it worked. "Men in Black had little guys in a hollow body that they controlled from the inside. It's huge and Gnomes are small." Javi asked for clarification. "You mean Gnomes inside it control the legs, arms, and shoot fireballs and lightning bolts?"

"Something like that, yeah. Their construct, if they made it, needs to stop and eat. Maybe the Gnomes do too," she offered. "Allowing us a chance to find out how to get inside it. If they did so can we." Kevin was catching on.

"Maybe Achilles heel really is applicable in this situation. Unless Gnomes can fly, they get in on the ground floor and that means its feet." Kate was finally smiling. "We leave the horses here, get to it while invisible, then search for a way in while it's busy eating. And making a mess." They watched it eat alright, but some of it was falling and collecting on the ground in front of it. Dirt and diamonds.

They left the horses and let them wander as they pleased and even took off everything. If they won and got out, they had their _Phantom Steeds_ to ride back to the mirror. Rick gave everyone **Stoneskin** and used his **Wand of Invisibility** on everyone except Kate and Kevin who could do it themselves. "Let's go!" Kate began running to the heel of the right foot.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They ran for the back of the right leg and tried to avoid the dirt, rocks, and diamonds that were falling to the ground. They checked over the back of its foot and up the leg. Kevin was pointing at where the legs met the body. "I think I see a hatch but I don't see anything on this end to open it with. And how do we reach it?"

They were trying to come up with a plan when it suddenly stopped eating. Kevin and Kate moved along side the foot to where the toes would be. The area was surrounded by dirt, rocks, and diamonds. However they both saw that the front of the foot was flat and hollow with a simple looking portcullis closing it off. They also saw a single Gnome inside. "Go get Jenny."

Kevin hurried back with Jenny. "Go over and charm him then get him to open the portcullis," Kate told her. Kevin watched Jenny move around in front, missing most of the debris, then cast her spell which meant she became visible. It was only a moment later and the portcullis started to open. Kate asked Kevin to go get the others and get them inside. While he was collecting the others, she was collecting diamonds in front of its foot and stuffing them into her backpack. She was still at it when Kevin called to her softly that everyone was inside. She had her hands full as she ran into the foot. "They're diamonds!" Kate defended herself. What she really wanted was one on her finger, but this would do.

Suddenly there was a sound. "Ask him what that was?" Kevin said to Jenny who conveyed his question. "It is the signal to close the door," was the answer from the Gnome. "Then close it," Kevin told Jenny who told the Gnome what to do. No sooner had the Gnome used a lever to finish closing the door then the Colossus began walking.

It was a little tight with seven people in a space that was about 8 feet wide by 20 feet long and that was just the hollow area of the foot. With each step they felt it hit the ground and the floor shook badly. "Ask him how we get up to the top," Kevin asked Jenny who asked the Gnome. "It has an elevator in the legs?" Kate had heard the response. How was that even possible? Still there were controls as described. The only problem was the shaft in the leg was only big enough for two people at a time.

"Kev and I go first followed by Jenny and Javi then Rick and Lanie. Kill him after we leave." Kate pointed at the Gnome. She stepped into the room and felt Kevin join her. He pulled the lever and up they went. It was perfectly circular and about 6 feet across. The ride lasted a little while and Kate was all set to complain about the speed when it stopped and opened into a space that was 15 feet by 10 feet and had a single bronze door on one side wall.

Kevin walked over to the door. "It's not locked," he whispered. "We wait for Jenny and Javi," Kate murmured quietly. Once they arrived a couple of minutes later, Kevin went to open the door when they were suddenly knocked off balance and either fell to the floor or hit a wall. The next two came up and stayed in the leg. "The foot leaks a little," Rick informed them. It had stepped into the river was their best guess and they could still feel it walking with each thud.

Kevin opened the door and found it was 10 deep and 20 feet across with a single bronze door across the way and a pair of double doors in the wall to their right. The wall to their right had four seats in it and that same wall had two arrow slits allowing light in. It also stank to high heaven. Kate was holding her nose. "It's a toilet room," she stated, her voice sounding funny.

Kevin looked over the double door since he was betting the single door lead to the lift from the other foot. "It's not locked," he told them and got ready to open the doors. Kate was off to one side and Javi and Jenny stood in front of the toilet seats facing the doors, ready. Kevin yanked the doors open and Jenny immediately cast a spell and charmed the Gnome to her left while Javi shot a white **Sleep** **A** **rrow** at the Gnome on the right. His went down while Jenny's just stood there.

The room was 50 feet wide by 15 feet deep. It had a beautiful wood table with a lovely shine on top that could seat ten people using well crafted chairs. In one corner there was a fireplace with a set of stairs across from it going up. There were also five arrow slits in this room allowing light in.

"Ask him how many levels there are inside this thing?" Kate asked Jenny to ask him. "Eight," was the response. "Ask him what is upstairs?" Kate asked. "Barracks and a small engineering room," was his answer. "How many?" Kate asked and "It sleeps nine," he responded then Kate killed him quickly.

"This time you're with me babe, keep that **W** **and of** **C** **olor** handy," Kate told him. "I have my new **Gem** ," Jenny offered then said, "And my **S** **taff** to charm someone." Kate thought about it. "Fine, you're with me. Kev and Javi, you two are next." Kate then used her **R** **ing** to become invisible again.

The stairs took them upstairs where they only found two Gnomes along with a dining room table that could seat eight and a second table up against a wall that had seating for three. There was a bronze door immediately to their left which radiated heat. A door was to their right and a little behind them and another door across from them. "Charm right," Kate instructed Jenny. Kate walked up to the other Gnome and used her **S** **taff** to pin him to the floor while she slit his throat.

The other one was just standing there. The others showed up quickly. "Ask how many are on this level." The Gnome's answer was two in the Engineering room doing maintenance. A sharp dagger and a **S** **leep** **A** **rrow** later and those two were no longer a problem.

A search of this level revealed a kitchen that had something cooking, though it was empty of Gnomes. The next room was food storage. Another room was the barracks that slept eight. Off the engineering room was a storage room that held oil, wheels, ladders, poles, rope, pipes, buckets, and large metal plates. The final room with a door ended up being a bedroom for a single person. Resting on the bed was a really large spider that was awake since the door had opened. However it waited, thinking its master should enter soon. Kevin used his whip and killed it easily.

A quick search of the room came up with a journal that told about the damage Xentarich was causing and how desperate this person was to get to Silverlake and flatten the place while killing everyone in it.

"There's something wrong here," Kevin announced. "I'm missing a 5 foot by 10 foot room just the other side of this wall." Kevin searched the wall in this room. When he came up empty he searched the other walls all around it till he finally found the hidden door and unlocked it. Opening the door released a gas that instantly caused Kevin to collapse. The gas dissipated quickly and Lanie looked him over. "He's just sleeping." Then she got to work on waking him up.

Inside the room was a footlocker-sized chest that had 10,000 gold pieces and 4,500 platinum pieces, three gems at 150 gold pieces each and a silver chalice worth maybe 500 gold pieces, all inside a **Bag of Holding**. There was also a **Potion of Love** , and a **Potion of Speak with Animals** , and a scroll that had two **Fabricate** spells on it.

"Our third **Bag of Holding** and 55,000 gold pieces." Kate was smiling wide. That plus a giant emerald and who knew how many diamonds. This was turning out to be a profitable trip.

But there was just one problem - they weren't done and home yet.


	49. Chapter 49

**K and K 49**

Katherine and Alexis were naked on the sectional in the traditional 69 position working on giving the other an orgasm. Since their mouths were busy it covered the sounds each of them were making since both had talented tongues.

Several days ago they had barely cleared the door when they started stripping off each other's clothes. They never did make it to the bedroom that day except to get some sleep. It had been like that for days. When Katherine was off work she had been waiting naked on the sectional for when Alexis came home from school. They had spent the next few days experimenting all over the loft.

Their hours were all jumbled up thanks to all the sex. They were eating when they remembered to and slept only after they were tired. Alexis managed to sneak in some homework and got Katherine's help but they were doing it naked making concentration difficult.

They were both close, really close. "Richard, what are you doing?" Martha asked him just outside the door as he was carefully and slowly putting the key into the lock. "I was trying to surprise my daughter till you spoke up." Rick was upset that she had ruined his plans. "I think you would be the one surprised dear and you would be living here all alone had you succeeded," Martha chided. "Ooo MOTHER!" Now he had a vision of his baby girl having sex with Katherine on the sectional in his mind which quickly morphed to them doing it on the dining room table. He didn't realize they had already done that and weren't interested in doing it again.

"I'm just saying dear. Alexis is a grown woman and if you don't start treating her like one..." Martha trailed off not sure just how far Alexis was willing to take it. "You remember what happened with Pi?" she asked him. "Please don't mention his name." Rick still didn't like that boyfriend. He hated how Alexis had chosen that loser over him. She had come around eventually, but it had damaged their relationship. Rick let his head rest against the door, when he straightened up Martha knocked on the front door followed by Rick opening it.

They walked inside and didn't see anyone nor was anything amiss. Everything was clean, the space wasn't filled with people having a party or even better, an orgy. The idea of an orgy had Rick smiling right up to the point where, in his head, his daughter was a participant in said party. "I'm going to my room dear, try not to make Alexis angry with you." Martha patted his arm and went upstairs. Rick headed for the kitchen after dropping the suitcase he hadn't needed at the stairs. He was going to get back at his daughter for that, he just had to figure out how.

Katherine and Alexis were behind the closed bedroom door and the closed and locked bathroom door with hands on the counter and over their hearts. "That was close." Katherine willed her heart to slow down. "You're telling me. ...I think Dad would have fainted dead away if he had spotted us in that position." Alexis smiled and laughed lightly as Katherine joined her. Their mouths were still wet as were their cores. What was worse was that they had been interrupted before climaxing and they had each been so close.

Alexis found herself in Katherine's arms as she started kissing her and let her hands wander to find Alexis's hot spots. "I still want you," Katherine whispered as she brushed Alexis's lips with a kiss. "I'll get the toy and meet you on the bed." Alexis extracted herself from Katherine's arms and retrieved the double headed dildo and the lube in case they needed it, which was unlikely given how wet each of them still were.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They both showered and dressed then emerged from the bedroom to find Rick cooking while Martha sat there watching and making comments. "It does _not_ need more spices Mother." Rick moaned but didn't turn around to face her. "I thought you didn't like anything boring Richard? That's been your mantra and you need to figure out what to tell Alexis." Martha reminded him.

"Tell me what?" Alexis and Katherine had been close enough to hear every word. It had Martha turning around and looking happy to see them, which covered up her surprise perfectly. Rick, however, didn't have his mother's skill and dropped his cooking tool when he spun in place. His fumbling to pick it up didn't help.

"Pumpkin, you're home!" Rick's voice betrayed him and that had him cursing internally. "I only have finals to worry about Dad and Kat and I have a meeting with our architect tomorrow, so where else would I be? ...And tell me what?" Alexis wasn't letting him off the hook while Katherine sat down next to Martha as they watched those two.

"Well, you could have been out celebrating something, gone to see a movie. The new Star Wars movie is playing again which I need to go see. I can't imagine not seeing it yet. Ooh the pain!" Rather dramatically Rick placed both hands over his heart.

"You'll live Dad, now what do you have to tell me? Why are you procrastinating?" Alexis got back on subject. "Richard." Martha waved a hand indicating he might as well tell her now and get it over with. He sighed and gave his mother the evil eye at before turning to his daughter. "I met someone after you two left," Rick began somewhat hesitantly. "That's wonderful! What's her name? Where does she live? What's she like? Please tell me she's not another one of your one night stands." Alexis wanted him to find someone. Someone that made him happy and wasn't just a quick roll in the hay. He wasn't getting any younger after all.

"No, she's not a one night stand!" Rick was insulted that she would think that of her. "She recently moved to the Hamptons and lives there year round. We met out on our beach and I've been to her house and she's stayed to eat in ours."

"That's great!" Alexis was beaming. "What's her name and please tell me you're taking it slow this time." Alexis wanted this one to last at least until she met her. "Her name is Rachel McCord and she used to be an agent for the Attorney General's office. She hasn't yet told me why she was fired but she will eventually." Rick was going to find out. Plus she might be a great source for what Derek Storm did and how he acted since Rick now had access to a real agent.

"That's wonderful Dad!" She was happy for him and moved around to hug him. "When's she coming so we can meet her?" Alexis questioned, automatically including Katherine. Martha cleared her throat informing Rick that if he didn't tell her she would. "She's not actually. She said she wanted to get away from big cities and just relax so she bought a little place in town. ...And I'm only here long enough to pack everything and move out to the house in the Hamptons year round." Rick cringed as he waited for the response he expected to get.

"YOU'RE MOVING!?" He wasn't surprised at her reaction. " _You're_ moving to that island of yours," he countered. "Not for another two years Dad." Alexis was rounding up and would find out how long tomorrow. "I'll still be only two hours away until you two move into your mansion. Which reminds me - how are you two affording this move?" Rick had left that alone and decided to ask now to get his daughter's mind off of him moving. "We have the money Dad, it's not a problem. Why didn't you tell me?" Alexis was angry and backed away from him to show him.

"Well, to be accurate you weren't there to tell." Alexis glared at him. "I only made my decision on the drive back here so you're the first to hear it, except for Mother," Rick told her. "And she doesn't know?" Alexis meant Rachel. "We talked a little about it, but no, she doesn't know I'm turning right around and going back to stay, if you'll let me. It'll be a while before I can afford to purchase the house from you or buy anther one somewhere," Rick said. "It's your home Dad, it always has been. I'll sign it over to you, we just need our lawyer. You can buy it for a dollar if money needs to change hands."

"That's not necessary Alexis, I'm making money..." Alexis interrupted him. "Stop Dad, it's your house. Kat and I can stop at the lawyer's office tomorrow before or after meeting with our architect. You can sign the papers when you have the time. When are you going back?" She wanted to know how long she was going to have him. Rick scrunched up his face. "Next week." He tried to close his ears then stiffened his body preparing to be hit. "Today's Saturday! You mean Monday don't you?" Alexis was ready to be pissed at him. First he was dead and now he was moving out!

Katherine cleared her throat knowing that they had their own secret and she shouldn't be that angry. Alexis looked at her and softened her stance considerably. Their interplay was lost on Rick but not Martha. _'What have you two planned?'_ Martha wondered.

"I'm happy for you, I hope it works out. Just don't..." Alexis had been going to say, _"M_ _arry her because you got her pregnant or whatever the reason was that you married Gina,_ _"_ but she refrained. "Just go slow and be careful Dad." Alexis moved back in and hugged him. "Thanks Pumpkin. I'm trying to do it right this time." Rick hugged her back.

"Kat and I have our own news." Alexis knew this wasn't going to go over well. "We've decided since we'll be moving when construction's done that we should get used to the area so we're moving at the end of school. Kat's only working as a volunteer and they don't have the money to hire her, so...we're going to rent an apartment in downtown Copenhagen for the summer. After that we'll talk. Maybe move there and attend the University until the new place is ready."

"We've already arranged to fly out after classes are over to look for apartments. We have three on our list, two of which are literally on a canal. They all have two bedrooms in case someone wants to come visit and see our new place."

Martha was smiling, mostly because Alexis was finally willing to spread her wings even if it did mean moving to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Rick, however, was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. His little girl was moving out! Not just moving out but moving _away._ He didn't see his living in the Hamptons as that big a deal. It was only two hours away. Copenhagen was hours by plane. "Moving?" Rick tried the word on for size.

" _You're_ moving away and I'm happy for you. Can't you be happy for me?" Alexis didn't know why she was angry with him but suddenly she was. It better not be because of Katherine or she was going to go ballistic. Alexis watched him look at Katherine and then back at her. He opened his mouth only to close it again. "DAMN YOU DAD!" Alexis stomped off to the master bedroom, pissed as hell at him. She had seen that look and guessed what it meant.

Katherine didn't look at either of them and went after Alexis. "Congratulations Richard." Martha was also pissed at him and marched upstairs to her room. He opened his mouth to stop his mother and explain. He also wanted to go to Alexis and apologize for something he had obviously done wrong. Instead he just gave up on cooking and shut everything down then either put it away or threw it out. "Nice work Rick." Everyone else was angry with him, so he might as well be mad at himself too.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Neither Alexis or Katherine, or even his mother for that matter, seemed to spend any time in the loft before it was time for him to drive back out to the Hamptons. This time he was going to drive himself even though none of the cars were in his name, though in his mind they were all his. He had even tried staying up late to catch someone coming home later. Unfortunately he fell asleep on the sectional.

He was resting on the sectional yet again, his bags at the door, the Ferrari's key in his pocket. This time he was sitting there with his head in his hands, his body bent over. He desperately wanted to fix all this. His head suddenly jerked up when Alexis, followed by Katherine, emerged from the master bedroom with lots of luggage. He hadn't heard a thing and assumed they were still out. Alexis stomped right past him for the front door while Katherine sent him a pleading look.

"Alexis wait!" Rick was up but not chasing after her. She let go of one of her bags to open the front door and then picked it back up again. "Alexis, please! I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Rick trailed off since what he was about to say was a lie and it wasn't going to help. "Please, Pumpkin."

Alexis did stop and turned to look at him but didn't let go of her luggage. "You died and that hurt like hell. A pain that you haven't even begun to understand. Then I got you back and everything was great for a while. I'm happy for you Dad, you deserve to find someone. You taught me not to question and I've found someone that makes me happy and that I love with all my heart, and what do I get from you?" Alexis was still pissed as hell.

"Katherine isn't Pi and yet you still can't accept my choices. MINE! Not yours because you're my dad, but mine. I'm going to live my life; you can be a part of it if you can get past your prejudice or you can stay very far away."

"I'm not a kid anymore and I expect you to not treat me like one. You have my phone number. I've added overseas calls to my account. Let me know when you finally grow up and join the adult world. Do you actually think Rachel, an ex-government agent is going to put up being with a child 24 hours a day? Time to grow up Dad. I did." Alexis walked out and down the hall to the elevator.

Katherine gave him a look of sympathy but she was with Alexis and hurried past him to catch up with her, ready for their ride to a hotel near the airport. Simon would fly them to Copenhagen tomorrow. Rick collapsed on the sectional. This situation was Pi all over again and he was making the same mistakes. His daughter was angry with him again and it hurt just like last time.

It didn't help when his mother, who was headed out, came downstairs. "I'd have thought you learned from last time Richard. Alexis grew up fast since someone had to be the adult in this house. She sacrificed some of her life to be with you because she loves you. She's is a grown woman now. You need to learn to deal with that. Katherine has her heart and you just stomped on it," Martha informed him if he hadn't already gotten that.

"I'm sure you'll think of something dear, but this time it's going to take a lot more than just ice cream. Katherine _isn't_ Pi." Martha kissed his cheek and walked out of the loft for her own appointment.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

There wasn't another set of stairs to get off this level so they went back to the tubular elevator. Since there were two tubes they discussed splitting up with each team separately taking a lift up to the next level. Kate, Rick, and Kevin were on one team and Javi, Lanie, and Jenny on the other. Rick had his **W** **ands** and Kevin could see invisible people or objects as could Javi, and Jenny had her **Gem**.

"If we get into trouble we come back down to this level if we can." Kate wasn't sure about this plan. However even if they wanted to take the same lift they couldn't all fit and stuffing three into it with all of their equipment like backpacks wasn't going to be easy though they had proved it could be done. "You be careful." Kate pointed at them and stuffed herself into the tube. The other team wedged themselves into the other one.

Going up one floor they found themselves in a small room with an opening in front of them. A quick peek around the corner showed them two bronze doors on their side and two bronze doors on the other wall with one right in front of them. Kevin also saw Javi looking around the corner and got him to wave. Both then informed the others.

They each unknowingly decided on the large open area in front of the two doors on their wall first before opening any doors. Kate and Javi inched forward, happy to have the sound of the Colossus walking covering up any sound they were making.

Kate had the single Gnome on the ground in no time and Javi almost hacked his head off. They looked around as the others joined them. Kate quickly reactivated her **R** **ing** while Rick tapped Javi with his **W** **and** making him invisible again. Kate looked everything over again and even looked into the periscope that was hanging from the ceiling. 的 think this might be a minor control room. The periscope provides a panoramic view of what's behind this thing." The levers were color-coded so someone would know what each would do. Silver, red, blue, black appeared to be the primary levers though there were several more and the place could seat two side by side.

"The doors behind us?" Kate asked and had Kevin move over to each of them. "Neither of them are locked." His statement had them splitting up into their teams again. Rick pulled open one door when he was told to while Lanie did the same for the other.

Inside was a 20 foot wide by 10 foot deep room that had four Gnomes inside. Two of them were being strapped into something that only Kate recognized and the far wall was open using sliding bronze doors. The two Gnomes helping the other two died first and quickly, and as Kate smiled and slit the throat of one of them, the other one jumped out the opening before he was completely strapped in.

He controlled it for a little while before crashing and breaking some bones. "It's a leg powered glider," Kate informed them. The room also contained 40 nicely made arrows. Javi selected a few and filled up his magical quiver that could hold 60 arrows including several white **S** **leep** **A** **rrows**. There were also four very nice longswords, two rapiers, and four suits of Banded Armor. And there was another lever that could be pulled. None of the bodies had anything so they moved on. "Left or right?" Kevin asked then went right.

The door turned out to not be locked and was someone's bedroom that had nothing of value. The other room had three circles on the floor. "All three are magical," Kevin told them. They wondered what to do with them. "Magical raised areas that are in a circle that are only big enough for one person?" Kate didn't know what to make of them. "Babe?" Kate asked Rick who was their Magic-User. Only Kevin and Javi could see that Rick was shaking his head. "I got nothing. Magical trap maybe? The barrack is below this area right?" Rick thought about a trap that became a chute and ejected the unfortunate person out the side.

They decided to leave them and go back to their lifts, except they found that the lifts didn't go up any farther, so they went back to the control room. "One of these levers maybe?" Kate inquired so Kevin began inspecting the ceiling. He shook his head. He had no idea how to open the damn thing. "Babe?" Kate asked. They spread out a little since this was going to be forcing their way in if it worked. Anyone up there was going to know it and come down looking for a fight.

Rick used his **Wand of Knock** and the disc that was the ceiling went flying up to hit the ceiling of the level above and came back down and bounced on the floor somewhere upstairs. When nothing else happened they boosted Kate up. She had elected to go first. Javi was the last of their group and climbed up a rope.

It was a large open room that obviously had another disc in the ceiling. It was 50 feet long by 25 feet deep and had four see-through columns spread out in each corner that each had something in each of them.

A - Reptilian-looking monster that obviously walked on 2 feet and yet still had a long tail. It was lying curled up on the floor.

B - A beautiful half-naked female Elf that was sitting on the floor with her back up against the cylinder wall. She saw them, stood, and started yelling at them, pounding on the clear cylinder. They, however, heard nothing. She finally gave up and just stood there staring at them.

C - A naked human male sat on the floor staring at them.

D - It looked like a seething, rolling mass of tissue that could actually rise up, sticking itself to the wall of the cylinder. "OH GROSS!" Kate and Lanie said almost at the same time. "What the hell is that thing?" was the question both of them asked. Rick shrugged, however Jenny spoke up. "It's a Demon from one of the 666 layers of the Abyss." That had all of them looking at her questioningly.

It was Kevin pointing out that the female elf was tapping on her cylinder that diverted their attention. They did their best to show that they couldn't hear a word that she was saying. Eventually she gave up talking and was just gesturing. "I think she's trying to tell us something," Kate said, not that she knew what it was. "I think this is like a game called Charades. You use hand gestures to try and get your point across without talking. I sucked at this game when I was a kid." Kate had caught on but also told them she wasn't going to be able to help.

Jenny stepped up to the cylinder and tapped it to get her to stop and gestured for her to watch just her. Jenny signaled for her to start again and followed where she pointed and mimicked some of the gestures she made. Jenny leaned down to the floor and touched the object she thought the Elf lady was trying to tell them about and watched her nod.

"If I'm right this will open the cylinder and free her," Jenny told them. "And why should we let her out in the first place? If anyone suggests we let that thing out, I'm going to hit them," Kate said.

"I'm a Concubine, it's what I do, or did before now. I've seen my fair share of women like her. She's someone's unwilling bedmate and is being held here until the next time," Jenny told them. "You mean there's someone in this thing who's been raping her over and over again?" Lanie was horrified and Kate wasn't far behind her. Even the guys, to their credit had a look of disgust.

"She's weaponless and if you're right, she's not a threat. But what do we do with her after we free her?" Kate questioned. They were only on level five out of eight levels. "Even we can't get out through the foot so long as it's in the water," Kate added as they felt each step.

"There was rope and that one level's still open. She could get out by herself if she's willing to swim," Lanie offered. "Or she waits there for us on our way back down. It's the first opening we've seen so far that we can get out through," Jenny said then pulled the lever when she saw nodding heads.

Jenny was immediately engulfed in a heartfelt hug and the Elf began jabbering away in a language no one but Jenny understood. "She says her name is Aletha and that she's one of several princesses in her land that's far away. She came to this land with some of her family, but they were all captured and killed except for her. She's been continually raped by some little guy," Jenny translated.


	50. Chapter 50

**K and K 50**

Through Jenny, they talked the Elf down to the deck that was still open and had rope she could use when she was ready to try it with or without them. Aletha had seen them use the elevator several times and told them how it worked before she climbed down the rope they let her use.

Aletha had also told them that all of the Gnomes had said a certain word "Xentarich" before any of them went upstairs as she was taken up to the next level where she was raped. "I hope you kill him!" she spat out with pure venom. "Oh he dies, trust me, he dies," Kate assured her.

Kate and Kevin went up first and found themselves in a large open space that had stairs on one side along with four bronze doors that likely went into individual rooms. However it was the stairs that had her interest. Kate motioned Kevin over knowing that he could see her. "What _is_ that?" Kate pointed to the top of the stairs. It looked a lot like the Stone Golem they had at home except this one was made out of metal. "Golem most likely," was Kevin's response. "Meaning we need a code word to get past it without having to fight it, just like home." Kate understood.

One room turned out to be a bathroom that actually had hot and cold running water while the discharge water was piped out of the Colossus. Another room turned out to be someone's bedroom. "There's an invisible book under the table," Kevin mentioned then picked it up and handed it to Rick who put it in his backpack for later.

"This door's locked," Kevin informed them and then shot his hands up in the air when he managed to solve the lock. He opened it then Kate quickly went inside with Jenny and her **S** **taff** right behind her.

This room, however, was not what they were expecting. There was a huge ruby, as big as any of the Gnomes, hovering in the center of the room. It gave off a red light that was actually pulsating. It was truly difficult to stay in the room for long as both of them soon found that their eyes were hurting. They went back outside to the others. "It's like a beating heart," Jenny said. Kate looked at her, a little surprised since she thought so too. "Is this what powers the Giant?" Rick asked.

"Hard to tell. It was difficult to see anything in that room. A ruby that eats diamonds for power though?" Kate questioned. The others had never heard of anything like it either. "How do we stop it from beating? I don't think we have anything that can even scratch it." Kate deflated since destroying the gem sounded like a way to stop this thing. "We go up I guess?" Kevin mentioned and reminded everyone of the code word, "Xentarich."

Each said the word before they even stepped a foot on the stairs loud enough for it to hear before Kevin went up slowly looking for any movement. Upstairs he found a hemispherical room set into the lower half of the head. Banks of controls appear to allow manipulation and control of the Colossus. There was also a large periscope in the center hanging from the ceiling. There were several chairs along the side in front of the controls with a single chair in the center. Each chair had a Gnome sitting in it. The one in the center was giving orders while the other Gnomes manned the controls.

They silently moved up onto the floor save for Rick and Lanie who were still on the stairs. Kevin and Javi saw that Kate was ready as she had her dagger poised to plunge it directly into the throat of the Gnome in the center.

Kevin, Javi, and Jenny each had an **Elemental Gem** out. Letting Jenny try and charm the Gnome in the center was compelling but Kate really wanted them all dead because they only had one more level to go. The three of them threw their **Gems** and got three **Fire Elementals** , which instantly attacked the Gnomes working the controls just as Kate plunged her dagger into the throat of the Gnome in the center. Kate followed up by yanking her dagger out diagonally ripping his throat open and watched as he literally choked on his own blood.

All of them were dead in seconds and the sound the Colossus gave off ceased. "The **bracers** on his arms are magic, as is his **ring** , the **bag** at his belt, as well as the **cape** over his shoulders. He has two magical **potions** , a magic **wand** , and a _spell_ scroll," Kevin pointed out and mentioned the others carried nothing magical.

That left just one more level for them to explore. Rick made Jenny invisible again while Kate and Kevin reactivated their **R** **ings**. Kevin went up first followed closely by Kate. Everyone else, including the **Elementals** , stayed downstairs.

Here they found another hemispherical chamber made of walls of metal. Two great windows were softly glowing with a red crystal in the centers. However it was the... whatever it was, in the center strapped to a chair that was forced to look directly into the red crystals. Whatever it was was dressed in extremely fine clothes with a hood over its head. However it was the multiple snakes peeking out beneath the hood that had their attention. Kate made a face of disgust. **Red crystals like pupils in an eye?**

Kate was about to question something when suddenly there there red lights glowing everywhere along with a throbbing sound that had their attention. Both of them hurried back downstairs. "There was something strapped to a chair that had snakes in its hair," Kevin mentioned. "A Medusa, of course!" Rick smacked his head in annoyance with himself. "It's said that her gaze can turn living flesh into stone..." Kate interrupted him. "And she has snakes for hair. A creature like that actually exists?" To her it was just a myth, something in books or movies.

"We need to get out of here. The lights and sound tell me this thing's counting down to an explosion. It's about to blow itself to pieces with us in it, at least that's how it works in the movies back home." Kate warned them. "Let's move!" she shouted and started pushing. The only thing that slowed them down was the elevator and the stairs. "We're likely still in the river," Kevin pointed out since he was out front again. "The glider launching room!" Kate yelled.

When Kevin reached the room he found Althea throwing rope over the side, getting ready to get wet. Kevin and Kate took their rings off which shocked her and had her hand over her chest willing her heart to slow down. "Can we use our scrolls while in this room?" Kate questioned and they all heard a disembodied voice respond, "Yes."

"Start reading, everyone knows where we're going," Kate said and soon multiple voices said words until they finished reading their scrolls. Four semi-there horses instantly appeared as they mounted them and out the opening they went.

"Go Kev, I'll take her with me," Kate told him. They each pulled out their scrolls and began reading. Kate reached out a hand and helped Althea up after watching Kevin's horse launch out the opening. She pulled Althea's arms around her waist then hurried her horse out the opening.

Kate and the others were amazed at just how fast these things were. Trees, rocks...nothing slowed them down. Even running upstream against the river meant nothing to them. It was only when they got them to go around the waterfall that they even slowed down a little. Aletha closed her eyes and buried her head into Kate's back since she couldn't handle how fast everything went past them and hugged Kate a little tighter.

They blew past people in town and didn't stop until they reached the mirror that was still in the middle of the trees in the center of town. Kate urged everyone through the mirror as Rick actually pulled the female Elf along behind him. Kate took out an **Earth Elemental Gem** and crushed it. The **Earth Elemental** showed up instantly. "Destroy this mirror after I go through. Once you do that you are released." Then she turned and stepped through.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They all watched as the view through their mirror ended and the mirror simply became a mirror reflecting their images. In moments three Cloud Giants entered and escorted all of them to Yuri since Guri was in Silverymoon doing her job.

Yuri promised to find a home for Aletha so they left her with the Cloud Giants. "Thank you!" Aletha mimed to each of them. Anything, even being on a different world was better than being raped repeatedly.

They were back home in no time and started going through everything they had after taking a shower and paying the blacksmith's two sons for their hard work. The **Bracers of Armor** were better than the ones Jenny was using so she replaced hers with those. The headband was a **H** **eadband of Intellect** , the same as Rick's, so they left it for now to decide if anyone wanted it instead of selling it. The cape was another **Cape of Mountebank** just like the one Kate was wearing and had yet to use. The potions were **Cure Moderate Wounds** and **Gaseous Form**. The wand was a **W** **and of Magic Missile** with 26 charges left. The bag was yet another **Bag of Holding**. And a scroll of **Summon Monster IV.**

They got off of the Drow a **Wand of Web** that had 21 charges left. The staff was a **Staff of Pain** with 32 charges left. The potions were **Haste** , **Rage** ,and **Tongues**.

The vast amount of books that they brought home had indeed been too much for their library shelves and a good number of them were on the floor stacked one on top of the other. And then there were the magical books that he had to ID. One was a **Tome of Ancient Lore** (It contained every spell ever created, you simply had to read it using Read Magic Spell and transfer it to your spell book) and **Tome of Books** (each of its 250 pages can magically hold the entire contents of a single book. You simply place the book on the page and speak a word. Conversely you can open the book and speak the word to have the book that was stored come out for you to read.).

They also had 55,000 gold pieces of gold and platinum and one giant-sized emerald that they would find out was 40 carats. Kate had 32 diamonds of various sizes to go along with the first one she had dug out for 33 total. The first one was the largest of the lot, still they were all worth a good deal.

They sold the Drow armor and weapons, **Staff of Pain** , and Jenny's old **Bracers of Armor**. **The Headband of Intellect** was still up for discussion as was the **Cape of Mountebank**. Still at the end of the day they each had another 32,336 gold pieces to their names.

Kate now had just over 60,000 gold pieces to spend, while all the others had somewhere between 40,000 gold pieces and 50,000 gold pieces total plus what each of them still had from before. And every one of them had eyes on an item that they still couldn't afford. Respectively they needed another 30,000 gold pieces or more. Except for a few **Elemental Gems** each, all the gold pieces they spent was on their room at the inn and another delivery of food, hay, and oats. Though Kate did spend 1,000 gold pieces on bottle after bottle of the really good wine and stuffed them into her backpack.

She woke the next morning with Rick's naked body next to hers. They had made love to each other till they couldn't think straight anymore. Kate stroked a finger over his arm as he slept. "Please!" Kate buried her face into his shoulder. It wasn't her body, it was Katherine's and even when she was older it would still be Katherine's body, not hers.

She could only hope that Katherine was capable of getting pregnant or that Rick could get her pregnant.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine and Alexis had looked at three different apartments so far and needed to make a choice. They had flown there and gotten a hotel room then told Simon he could go where he pleased. "You can stay here if you wish and I'll get you a hotel room or you can go back to New York. I won't need you till the end of summer at the earliest. If that changes I'll call you," Katherine had told him. He had elected to take a hotel room for a week so he could spend some time in Copenhagen and then flew back to New York to spend time with Dina.

"Let's go over them one by one. The last one was literally on the Nyhavn Canal," Alexis stated. "It had those fake hardwood floors, three large windows, the kitchen was tiny, and the oven wasn't even IN the kitchen! It was around the corner almost in the living room." Katherine wasn't impressed. Alexis removed it from the list.

Alexis looked at the next one on her list and said, "The next one is also on the Nyhavn Canal and is on the third floor with no elevator." Katherine gave her opinion of that apartment. "It had real hardwood floors though they were really light with a sort of whitewashed look. The second bedroom was tiny. Even the twin bed that was in the corner barely fit. The kitchen was nice and had an American style refrigerator/freezer. It also had a small table in the kitchen to eat on." Alexis asked, "Keep it on the list?" and watched Katherine nod.

"The last one is a little off the same canal so it doesn't have as good a view," Alexis pointed out. "That one had the same fake floors as the first one though they were darker in color. The kitchen in that one was the tiniest of the three. Almost no counter space and minimal cabinets. The dining room was bigger than we need since it seated eight," Katherine mentioned.

"Are we thinking the same one?" Alexis asked. "If you mean the second one, then yes, we're thinking the same one," Katherine told her as Alexis hugged her. "We're going to get a workout going up and down three flights of stairs sometimes loaded down with groceries," Katherine pointed out. "Let's go get it before someone else takes it," Alexis urged, and moments later they had a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment for US$ 2,282 a month with a 3 month lease.

Next came the search for scooters. Alexis loved the electric one except she didn't know how she was going to plug it in to charge it when they lived on the third floor.

 **TaoTao Powermax-150 150cc Moped Scooter** \- It even had a little case to put stuff in on the back. One came in red and one came in green. US$839.95 each.

Some of the furniture that came with the apartment wasn't really to either of their tastes so they went shopping to replace it. Just the sofa and the master bedroom bed, everything else could stay. After that they went shopping for art to put up on the empty white walls.

The first task after moving in with their scooters was to go grocery shopping and since they had limited space they both went. They chose the closest grocery they could find. They had a lot to learn.

They had been in Copenhagen for a week in their new home and had spent several days getting around on their scooters as they learned the city. They quickly found that their area was all residential. The closest restaurant was called Tony's on Havnegade facing a larger canal.

Everything seemed to be on the other side of of the 02. Several shopping places- Females, Dermalogica, Magasin-Du Nord, and a little further on was Fona. They also found the National Bank of Denmark was close. They had even found the Metro station called Kong's Nytorv. "I'll let you try it and tell me what you think," Katherine told her since she didn't like the New York Subway. It was something Alexis had figured she would say.

Then they found two, no three really large park areas, two of which actually had large ponds or small lakes in them. **Kongens Have** and **Botanisk Have**. It was only later that they found out what they thought was a third park was simply the continuation of Botanisk Have. It simply had a large road cutting through it called Solvgade. They found out it was populated with museums. **Statens Museum for Kunst** which was a Danish and International Art Museum. **Geological Museum**. However what really had their attention and they had already spent more than one day at was **Rosenborg Castle** , a 17th century palace and royal museum. The towers were five stories tall while the main building was four stories tall.

They sat down to rest and drank from the bottles of water they had brought with them in their city backpacks. "Have you talked to your father yet?" Katherine didn't want bad blood between them. However the look Alexis gave her told her it was still a very sore subject.

"Lex honey, he's your father and he loves you. You were broken when he died and so happy when he came back. You can't stay angry with him forever. There's too much love between you. You really need to call him." Katherine was hurting from this, too.

"As much of a mistake Pi was, Dad was an ass when it came to him. He wasn't willing to let me make my own choices and I thought we had gotten past that. Apparently I'm wrong," Alexis stated and had no intention of calling him.

"This is my fault," Katherine said. "How could you think that? I love you. Even Grams has figured that out," Alexis fought back. "Your father obviously disapproves of you being with me," Katherine remarked quietly. "You mean because you're a woman instead of a guy. Well, I've got news for you. Dad taught me not to judge people and not be a bigot about who loves whom."

"Why can't he live by his own teachings? I'm not ashamed that I love you and I'll tell anyone who'll listen and not care what they think," Alexis stated heatedly. "And yet what your father thinks does matter. What's the difference Lex? What makes you run from him instead of fighting back? Shove his own teachings down his throat. Stand up for yourself Lex. Show your dad that you're not a child anymore." Katherine tried something else.

Alexis stared at her and knew how much she loved her and her father. She took out her cell phone. "Dad, we need to talk. I'm still incredibly angry with you. You taught me not to be a bigot and then you turn around and don't practice what you preach. Call me when you're ready, or don't ever talk to me again. Your choice." Then Alexis hung up.

"Happy now?" Alexis's fury was just under the surface again. "It'll do for now," Katherine commented, not wanting to piss her off even more. "1105?" Katherine asked and Alexis smiled. "Drown my mood in alcohol?" Alexis teased. "We can only drink a single one and we both know it. And to be honest I want to have another Norseman Sour." Katherine had found a drink that she loved.

"Fine, let's go feed your addiction. I could use the people and noise to drown out my sour mood." Alexis got up and started walking to their scooters which were locked up a ways away since they had done a fair amount of walking. "You can join me in a sour drink for your sour mood." Katherine bumped her getting her to chuckle. And almost instantly the Alexis she loved so much was back.

Katherine knew Alexis still needed to talk with her father. She hadn't even said a word about her dad's new girlfriend. Martha was keeping them up to date on Rachel, since she had surprised them by going out to the Hamptons yesterday. Martha had shared everything she had seen and thought she knew about. She had even sent a picture of Rachel that she had tried to be sneaky about taking along with one where both of them were being close.

"Is he still writing Grams?" Alexis may be pissed as hell but she still cared. "Richard says she gives him inspiration and that she tells him some of the wildest tales of cases she worked on that aren't classified anymore," Martha told them.

"What do you think Martha?" Katherine asked her point blank. Martha was silent for a time. "She's a serious lady who seems to be warming up to Richard's antics just a little. They're so different from each other. She's serious and Richard is anything but. She puts him in his place and doesn't take his crap while Richard is growing up to reach her. I just hope he doesn't screw this up." Martha was sure he was going to either do something stupid or surprise her with one of his stupid stunts. Though either way it would be bad.

"Just keep your eyes on him and call if there's a problem. I'll have Simon come get us if you need help," Katherine offered. "How is Alexis?" Martha was worried about those two yet again. "Still angry, but I'm working on it," Katherine answered her.

"Those two have so much love to give. How they can do this to each other..." Martha trailed off. "They're both stubborn. Each has their opinion and won't give in to the other. Does Rachel know about Alexis and their fracture?" Maybe Rachel could help.

"She knows he has a daughter and has seen pictures of her. Richard has told her stories of when she was little," Martha told her. "Little, not the woman that she is now? What about me?"

"Nothing dear. I'm sorry," she apologized for her son. "I'll work on him, you just keep Alexis happy and Richard will come around." Martha was very disappointed in her son. "My offer still stands Martha. Simon's in New York so if need be it could possibly happen that same day or at least the day after." Katherine ended the call and wondered if she should put Simon on standby.

For now she went out into their living room to sit with Alexis and hold onto her and be there for her.


	51. Chapter 51

**K and K 51**

It had been a month since they returned from their adventure through the mirror. They'd settled into a routine. They poured spices that Kate recommended partly based on her knowledge and what had sold best. Every four weeks they took their pony kegs into Silverymoon using their pack mules. "We have a **Portable Hole** that will hold all of them, so why bother using and keeping pack mules?" Lanie questioned. That way would be much easier and less trouble.

"In my world, anyone who showed wealth could be targeted. If you walked around with a large amount of money, gold coins, and displayed them everywhere you went, you were just asking for trouble. If we act like a simple caravan, people who are still willing to attack will be too weak to succeed," Kate tried to explain.

They had done this twice with just Javi, Kevin, and Lanie acting as guards for their caravan. Like the other times they had no trouble and each person now had an additional 5,200 gold pieces at their disposal. That amount, however, had lessened a little since they returned with a load of food that went down into the freezer/cooler or into the dry storage upstairs. In addition they purchased another four weeks of hay and oats for the horses and food for the wolves.

"IT"S TIME!" Jenny came racing up the stairs to inform everyone. They hurried to the stable downstairs to watch, to help if necessary, the birth of Storm's pups. When it was over, Storm licked each pup clean as they scrabbled blindly to latch onto a nipple and feed. There were five of them. One was jet black through and through. Another was almost all white, while the rest were a mix of the two colors. Dapper simply stood watch, guarding all of them from everything including them. Though he did allow Javi close enough to feed the two of them and change their water.

Almost two weeks later the pups yipped when they felt like it, though they still hadn't ventured out from their den. "We're going to need names for them soon." Kate marveled at the birth that she had watched firsthand. She rested a hand on her belly. She was late, but wasn't sure if that meant anything or not. She was wound up, anxious to be pregnant which produced stress. With that and the stress of their latest combat through the mirror, she wasn't sure it meant anything.

Rick had been Rick for the most part. He would spend a few hours in the library reading book after book and help when he was called out of the library. He had started with the Demonology books and had been fascinated. Presently he was working through the massive pile of construction books they had brought back.

Javi was working wonders in the garden which provided them with fresh vegetables, even the trees were producing fruit. Add to that the fact that Kate hadn't burnt anything in a month which meant they were eating well. The house was clean, they were eating good food, and they were enjoying life. They had even created plans for the roof deck using information that Kate had brought with her from her world. They just had to figure out how to make it work in this world.

In addition to all that, Kate was making headway on her plan to open a lingerie shop. Jenny loved her new bras as did Lanie. Even Kate had to admit that the ones she made for herself were far superior to what she had been wearing. She still didn't think what she made was as good as what was made in her world, but they were great. They were pretty and comfortable and provided support. "How did you do this?" Jenny placed her hands on the outside of her breasts, amazed at the support she now had. "It's called underwire." Kate grinned being really pleased with what she was creating.

She had even made a number of pads that the three of them were wearing regularly now. "What are these things on the sides?" Jenny made them flap. "They're called wings." Kate smiled wide.

She just needed names for each. Her first choice for the bras was "Ali Baba." The fact that this place had magic and yet couldn't use magic to make a decent bra and that the name meant magic in her world was irresistible.

As for the pads, she was actually thinking of calling them Always. Then she thought maybe she should just use the same name as the bras. Next on her agenda was making panties for the three of them. Once she had those perfected she was thinking of buying a building in town or buying the land and using the **Lyres** to build one. She'd hire women and teach them how to sew her goods, open her own business. However that was probably months, if not years from now.

The sound of Dapper barking a warning had Kate running downstairs from the kitchen where she had just put a pie in the oven. Downstairs she found a regal looking Elf that she recognized. She calmed Dapper down. "Come in. Are you here to see the puppies or do you have something else on your mind?" Kate asked Guri as she entered. "Both actually." Guri smiled and knelt down to see the pups and check on Storm.

"They appear to be healthy. I brought a powder you can add to their water. It will help them grow up strong and healthy." Guri offered it and Kate took it. "Thank you. Everyone's spread out upstairs," Kate told her then escorted her upstairs and went in search of everyone.

"My father has started to make gains on what is on one side of one of the two remaining mirrors. He has managed to find allies and together we are defeating the army that is attacking a Dwarven Stronghold. There have been a few losses, however, that is to be expected. Still, Father is looking for more allies," Guri informed them. "And Yuri wants us to be one of those allies," Rick said only to see Guri shake her head. "We want you to enter the other mirror. I personally have monitored this mirror and what I have seen concerns me greatly."

"If I am correct, there is a city the size of Silverymoon that also appears to be just as good and an equal in power. However they are losing their city to something unusual, something I have never seen or heard about before. It is being destroyed from the ground up. The roots of either a single plant, or several of them, appears to be spreading and destroying the city, building by building. There have also been indications that the city is being attacked by small bands that I cannot clearly see. Father wants you to go to this city, determine what is happening, and put an end to it."

However Kate noticed that Jenny had been acting off ever since Guri mentioned something about roots. "What is it Jen? You've been agitated since just after Guri began speaking to us." Kate was concerned about her. What she got back was hesitance and a look of fear. "Go ahead, they're our friends and you've earned their trust. You know you've earned mine." Kevin offered his support. But Jenny didn't look very certain. Finally she broke down and began to speak. "I'm so sorry. I lied to you all when we first met. I'm not a Half-Elf. Actually that's not true, I _am_ half Elven; I just also happen to be half Demon." Jenny watched their mouths fall open. "I'm not evil, I swear! If anything, I'm the exact opposite."

"Father was charmed by a Succubus who, in turn, was charmed by him. When she became pregnant, she had to hide it from everyone else she be hunted down by other Demons. When she finally gave birth to me she was found out and had to go on the run. Father told me all about her when I was old enough to understand. The closest settlement was Elven and they forced us out because of me. All they saw was my Demon side and said they were doing me a favor...they didn't kill me for what I was."

"We hid in a human settlement until my father was killed. I became a Concubine to support myself. Turns out I'm actually pretty good at it, mostly because of my mother's bloodline. I didn't tell you because I was afraid of what you would think. My mother was a Demon but I have never, ever seen her." Jenny retreated into Kevin's arms.

"I trust her. She hasn't done anything but help us." Kevin supported her and held her tight. "If she goes so do I," he stated unequivocally which made Jenny turn to look at him. "Kev, you don't have to do this." She wasn't going to come between him and his friends. She was the outsider after all. "It'll be fine Jen, I'm not leaving you and letting you fall back into your old life. You have friends and I love you no matter what." His words made Jenny cry in relief, her heart opening even wider to him.

"It does answer a few questions," Lanie admitted. They had all been amazed at her natural ability to affect men as much as she did, as well as with women, even ones that weren't interested in women sexually.

"I'm from another world and have been accepted. You've fought with us, supported us, and risked your life to help us. Who am I to care what half your blood is? Hell, most of what I've seen and done since I came here is nothing more than fantasy in my world." Kate didn't care and Jenny soon had support from the others. All except Guri who remained silent.

"You looked like you knew something," Guri said in her steady manner. "It was something my father taught me. Mother had told him all she knew and he in turn told me. Even though she was gone he didn't want me to hate her or hate what I was."

"What you're talking about sounds like a story Father told me. It was about a Demon Tree that meant to take over an entire world, to have complete control over everything. It wanted to kill all the animals and turn the place into an evil world of plants. It was a massive tree that sent out roots to attack and destroy what it wanted. It was called a Meleonen...Melagrus...MALGARIOUS! That's it, Malgarious. Demon Plant, Demon Tree. It hates anything that's an animal. It's supposed to be able to convert local plants into evil wherever it spreads its roots." Jenny shuddered after telling them all that she knew about it.

"Sounds like we'll be fighting plants this time," Javi said, automatically adding Jenny in all this. "I presume the same payment applies as before?" Rick queried. He, too, included Jenny.

Guri brought out another **Bag of Holding** that held 15,000 gold pieces per person and handed it over. "I will inform Father to expect you at our front gates in no more than two weeks." Guri got up and left, and as usual, didn't thank them. "She's going to remain alone if she keeps that much ice water in her veins," Kate whispered to herself, unaware that Guri could still hear her. It was something Guri herself had noticed, it was just that she wasn't used to acting in any other way. She also wasn't sure how to change. Maybe when, or if, these people came back, she would enlist their aid to help her change. Living alone the rest of her life was not really what she wanted. She just did not know how to change.

"It's not yet time for lunch, so pack and head to Silverymoon?" Rick asked. "We can go in about an hour, I just put a pie in the oven," Kate told them. "Ooo, I love your pies." Jenny salivated in anticipation. "Cherry from our cherry tree?" She clasped her hands together hopefully. She had no idea why she was in love with cherries, she just was. And Kate's baking only helped give life to her craving. Watching Kate smile made her smile wider. "We wait for one of Kate's famous pies then." Rick chuckled, not that he wasn't going to have a slice. He liked her cooking as much as everyone else in the house did.

One thing was on everyone's mind while shopping in Silverymoon. "What do you use to combat plants? In particular a Demon Plant?"

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They were venturing out a little farther into town today and had even made plans to go over their future, or at least Alexis's future classroom building that was the colleges Veterinarian School. Tomorrow however was going to be a big day. Their first commuter boat was scheduled to arrive and be docked in its space at Wilders Plads Marina. A boat this size was charged 250DK (A little over US$30) a month for the space. Since the other two boats were months, if not years out, it was going to be the only one there for quite a while.

However their large cruiser was scheduled to show up next month. They needed to coordinate its arrival with the main contractor, deciding where they were going to dock it on the island so it was out of his way.

While looking at their future school area they found **Kobenhavn Zoo** in Frederksberg. It took some time and they had missed lunch because of it, but Katherine had been accepted as a volunteer for three days a week from opening till closing. Since she only spoke English she was limited in what she was allowed to do.

"The people in New York gave you their highest recommendation. They are sorry to lose you however their loss is our gain," the volunteer coordinator told her. "Actually we plan on moving here. We're just staring a 2 year plus construction and remodel. Once school starts again, we've discussed taking classes to learn how to speak and write in Danish," Alexis said knowing that they hadn't talked about what they were going to do after these three months. "All I can say is welcome and you begin the day after tomorrow. There will be some paperwork you will need to fill out followed by an orientation program so we can see where to place you. I'm sure you're going to fit right in." He shook both of their hands.

"I've got a job!" Katherine was bouncing since it meant she was going to be around animals again. "We should celebrate!" Alexis said, caught up in Kat's excitement. "And what did you have in mind for this celebration?" With Alexis it could mean ice cream, eating out, or any number of things. However the mischievous look on her face had Kat wondering. It turned out to be going back to their apartment and making love to each other for the next two hours. Both of them were spent and relaxed and loose as they held onto each other. "Now we need to get you a job so we can celebrate again," Katherine teased and quickly kissed her.

The sound of one of their cell phones ringing had them hurriedly trying to untangle from each other and find it. Alexis found the offending device. "Hello."

"Hi pumpkin." Rick was cautious. He had heard his daughter's message and was really worried that he had screwed up so big he might not be able to fix it. "Hello Dad." Alexis's armor instantly went up and her voice sounded cold. A still naked Katherine got behind Alexis and began working on her shoulders.

 **Flash back to just before this call:**

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Rachel was surprised and immediately pissed off at him which made Rick shrink back into himself. He wished he was somewhere else, anywhere else. When Rachel was angry with him, she was really angry. He had quickly found that his childish antics didn't work with her and they hadn't actually seen each other for almost a week after the last one. It took a shopping trip into town, a walk on the Hamptons beach, followed by dinner before she was speaking to him again.

"I never took you for a sexist bigot Rick. Your daughter's found love, isn't that enough for you? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone you want to spend time with? I've had my share of boyfriends and not one of them was really worth spending that much time with."

"I dove into my job and got lucky to be accepted at the AG's office. Hell, I'd still be there working hard, all alone, if I hadn't done what my conscience told me to. And what did doing the right thing get me? It got me fired, that's what it got me. Me dedication to my work also left me alone and closed off. What little I did date didn't lead to anything. Trust me, finding someone to love and loves you back isn't as easy as you seem to think."

"Why do you care who she's with so long as she's happy. Isn't that enough? Don't you _want_ your daughter to be happy? Let her grow up Rick, she's not a child anymore. If you've done even half the job I think you have, based on what you tell me, she knows what she's doing."

"And I don't want to hear another complaint about that guy Pi." She agreed that it was a stupid name and if Rick was even half right, he was a parasite who could only live by living off of others. He was probably hoping that Alexis had access to her dad's money. " _Katherine isn't Pi!_ ...Where's your phone?" She went looking for it and found it on the kitchen counter in his house. She had to admit that between their two homes his was much nicer.

"Here!" Rachel shoved the phone at him. "Call her and apologize. I don't care if you have to grovel and scrub the floor she walks on with a toothbrush." Rachel let go of the phone when he took it. "And if you piss her off again, I'm going to hurt you! I know just how to do it and not leave a mark on your body!" Which was a good thing for her since she liked his body. Actually she loved what his hands could do and being held close to that broad chest of his was heaven, plus he was adventurous in bed which was something that she treasured. "WELL!?" she demanded as he just stood there staring at her.

GOD, but he loved it when she got all bossy at him. She didn't take any of his bullshit and was only too willing to give it right back. She was forcing him to up his game. She wasn't another one of those weak-minded, big-breasted airheads that he was more comfortable with. Though maybe comfortable wasn't the right word. Being with one simply meant he didn't have to put in the effort to get her into his bed. Rick snapped out of it and scrolled through his extensive list of contacts then pressed send. Alexis sounded happy when she answered and then pissed when she heard his voice.

"Hi pumpkin. ...I got your message. I was hoping maybe we could talk," Rick said contritely, not wanting to get into another pissing match. "Then talk Dad." Alexis was still angry with him. "I was actually hoping to do it in person. I can drive into the city and meet you somewhere," he offered not knowing that she wasn't there. "I'm in Copenhagen with Kat, I can't just up and fly to New York." She wasn't sure why she was angry that he didn't know where she was. Granted she hadn't told him, but she thought that maybe her grams would have.

"COPENHAGEN? With..." Rick shut-up when he saw the look Rachel was giving him. He had been about to denigrate Katherine and his daughter's choice yet again. "Offer to go to her," Rachel whispered to him. "Copenhagen sounds nice actually. I can fly out tomorrow and we can meet and talk in the hotel, somewhere neutral," Rick suggested uncertainly. "Offer to have Simon fly him, I'll call and have him ready," Katherine murmured softly since she was close enough to hear every word.

"Fine Dad. I'll have Kat have Simon fly you in her plane; that way you don't have to worry about finding a ticket on short notice," Alexis informed him brusquely. "Ask him to bring Rachel," Katherine whispered as Alexis turned and looked at her with a _'Why the hell would I do that?'_ look on her face.

"I want to meet her and if she's dating your dad, so do you. Now ask him!" Katherine put a little more commanding tone into her soft voice. Alexis quickly relented as she turned back to the phone. "Can you ask Rachel if she wants to come? You two can spend some time looking around," Alexis offered a little grudgingly. "And tour the island with us." Katherine pushed a little more and Alexis sighed.

"You two can come with us to tour the island we bought. It's not far, it'll only take a few minutes." They hadn't actually learned how to get out of the marina and over to the island yet so it might take more than a few minutes. That was assuming they didn't make a wrong turn somewhere.

Rick covered the phone with his hand. "Alexis wants to know if you'll come with me. She's suggested we could tour Copenhagen and go out to this island they've bought and are renovating."

Rachel thought this through. She would finally get to meet his grown daughter, which was a good thing. She would get to meet her girlfriend who obviously had her heart, which was another good thing. She would get to visit a city she had never been to before, which was yet another good thing. Plus her job only required her to have access to the internet for her to work, which was still another good thing.

"Alexis's girlfriend has a plane and she's offering to fly us there," Rick added. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. They had access to a private plane that had the range to get from New York to at least Heathrow? She was sold. "Tell her I accept and thank you."

"Rachel accepts your offer to come, pumpkin. It'll be so good to see you. I've missed you." Rick actually did miss his little girl. He just had to figure out how to see her as a grown woman who was making her own choices now.

"I'll call Simon and we need to get them a hotel room. Ask how long they want to stay. A week, maybe two?" Katherine suggested and went in search of the satellite phone to call Simon. "ALEXIS! Remember Simon thinks my name is Serena Kaye," Katherine called out just as she reached the bedroom. _'Why did Kate have to make this so complicated?_

 **Hotel D'Angleterre**.Alexis quickly found that space on such short notice was limited. She got a deluxe one bedroom suite for Simon. It was same size suite and hotel she and Katherine had used when they came out to tour the island. She upgraded her dad and Rachel to a d'Angletreer Suite: 1022 square feet, an enormous living room, king bed, 42" B &O LED TV with international channels, marble bathroom and champagne upon arrival. As well as a shuttle service to and from the hotel.

Alexis was nervous after making the arrangements and hearing Katherine talking to Simon about flying her father and his girlfriend out to see them ramped up her anxiety. Alexis wanted this to go well, she truly did. But she was still angry with her father.


	52. Chapter 52

**K and K 52**

I'm not intentionally ignoring the reviews i receive. The website simply tells me that it can't find the review that I'm replying to.

Honest I'm not ignoring any of you or leaving your questions hanging.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"How do we kill plants?" Rick questioned as they walked through the store of the two Halflings. "Roundup Weed Control," Kate suggested deadpan and then began laughing when she saw his face. "It's a poison meant to kill weeds and grass," she finally explained though she was still giggling. "One of these days you're going to have to really explain your world and maybe draw a few sketches." Kate was just so different. It was one of the things that attracted him to her. "I'd love to." She held her hands over her heart; she was pleased that he wanted to learn about her world even though he was never going to see it.

"Fire kills plants," Javi offered. Rick decided he had his **W** **and of Fireballs** , even if it didn't have many charges left in it. He had his spells and would focus on fire-based spells as much as he could.

Rick - **Wand of Fireballs** , It was a little more powerful than the one he had just gained. 18,000 gold pieces.

Lanie - **Wand of Neutralize Poison** , "Some plants are poisonous and it _is_ a Demon Plant." Javi defended her choice. 21,000 gold pieces.

They each picked up a **Fire Elemental Gem** to go with the others they already had. "I can't think of anything else," Rick said so they left and headed for the home of the Cloud Giants.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They decided to just watch what was in the mirror for a while. It was dark when they began watching and became daylight as they watched. It was then that they started seeing people walking around, but not that many. Most were human though some were Elven and Halfling.

Rick sighed. "Shall we?" He motioned for Kate to go first followed by Lanie this time, then Kevin, Jenny, himself, and Javi. " **HALT!** " someone yelled and they were immediately surrounded by men in armor, all pointing weapons at them, including a few with bows. Kate did the simple thing. They were here to kill the Tree, not fight with those they were trying to help, so she raised her hands. "We're here to help, we're trying to combat what the Goddess Lolth from our land has done here. Please take us to someone we can talk to."

Much to their chagrin, they handed over their obvious weapons, which didn't include Kate's or Lanie's **S** **taff** **s** or any of their daggers. They were surrounded as they were escorted to a building and told to wait. Three men remained inside. Three were just outside and one had gone to get replacements to guard the mirror and to find someone.

They were too nervous to sit, so they did their best not to get too close to their guards and start something. Still they wandered around the room a little till finally the door opened. In walked a casually dressed elderly man, along with what looked like a personal guard, and a woman who was almost as old as the elderly man.

Lanie's eyes widened. She bowed reverently, something Kate had never seen her do before. "Priestess, it is an honor to meet you." Lanie raised from her bow and they could see everyone soften their faces and stances. "I am Philyra, the High Priestess of Pelor within the city of Vendren. I am grateful that Pelor has answered my prayers and sent us warriors to combat what plagues our once fine city. The Lord Mayor and several of the city's most important officials are dead, slain in the Tree's sudden appearance."

"Vendren needs champions. Thousands are dead already and many more shall likely soon fall. We fear time is short. We will gladly offer 150,000 in gold pieces and magical items should you succeed in destroying the tree and saving our beloved city. There will also be a festival in your honor shortly afterward, if we can convince you to stay that long," Philyra told them.

It meant an additional 25,000 gold pieces per person for them, in addition to the 15,000 that the Cloud Giants had provided them with already. For Kate, it was enough to buy what she coveted, but not as a replacement for the **S** **taff** she still loved. The others needed a little more though. "Make it 180,000 all in gold pieces and we have a deal," Kate bargained. "KATE!" Lanie hissed at her for trying to increase their pay and for embarrassing her in front of an older Priestess of her God.

Philyra raised a hand. "It is alright sister, not everyone fights in the name of their god." She thought it over. They had the funds on hand, but they were just hoping that when, not if, this band succeeded, they would have that money to rebuild a little faster. "We agree. This guard will escort you to the edge of town and point out the location of the Tree itself. You cannot miss it, it is huge in size."

Their weapons were returned and they were escorted out of town. Even before they lost their guide, they could see the Tree and roots on the surface of the ground. "Good luck, may the light of Pelor guide you and protect you," their guide offered then literally ran back the way they came. "O-KAY, no pressure," Kate said and looked over the Tree.

It was wider around than their home was long, making it easily over 90 feet in diameter, then there was the height. It was easily 200 feet tall while the canopy covered at least twice that space. The roots at the base were massive. "Meet Malgarious the Demon Tree," Jenny stated, not anxious to go up against it. "And it's only going to get bigger," she added knowing it would continue to grow and become more powerful. They were still over 100 yards away and all they saw was Tree and roots and plants. "Not a single animal in sight, not even so much as a bird," Jenny whispered, feeling the evil of this thing even from there.

As they got closer, they were beginning to think they were wrong since they didn't have anything to judge scale with. It was getting wider and taller as they approached. "I'm starting to hate this Tree," Kate remarked. She hated it even more when the plants around her suddenly grew bigger and grabbed her. They had fibrous stems almost as thick as a man's forearm, covered with brown, stringy-looking bark. Their leaves were shaped like human hands. Quickly, several strands wrapped around Kate's throat as she fought back to clear her neck so she could breathe. Soon after, her arms were pinned in place preventing her from struggling. Kevin hit what looked like the clump's base with his whip while Javi pulled out both swords, activated his **Boots of Speed** , and made four quick strikes trying to free Kate's neck.

It took a moment, then Kate was on her knees sucking in air and hacking from a cough. Rick knelt down next to her, holding her in place. "I hate this Tree," she rasped. "You mean you love this Tree. It's a Demon Tree, it thrives on hate and fear," Jenny countered. She looked at Jenny like she was completely nuts and maybe had eaten one of those mud pies or had drunk some of that water on their first mission for Yuri. "I'm serious," Jenny said stubbornly, ignoring the look Kate was giving her. She was finally able to stand. "Love this Tree?" she scoffed as gray clouds gathered and it began to softly rain. "Yeah, not happening. I hate this Tree." Kate scowled at the damn thing. Jenny didn't blame her, she couldn't stop herself from hating it either.

They were still 50 yards out. The gray clouds had darkened to storm clouds and had started raining cats and dogs. Jenny had long since pulled out her tent and converted it into a rain suit. "Now I'm envious," Kate muttered and swiped at some of the rain accumulating on her face. It was warm out and she and the others, save for Jenny, were now soaked to the bone. The sound of lightning that had them running for the Tree trying to miss the roots.

"I think I see at least one way inside," Javi said. He was out front for a change since they were fighting nature. To him it looked like there was a large crack in the tree, out front under the canopy that now blotted out the sun, making it dark along with the wet and heat. There were a number of giant purple mushrooms. As Javi started to walk past them, two suddenly spat out a puce cloud that kind of just hung there since there was no wind to speak of. In addition, a horrible, deafening shriek began. Javi ran back to join the others, wondering if there was a different way in. He started looking up while covering his ears from the sound.

Rick took his hands away from his ears just long enough to pull out his older **Wand of Fireballs** and spoke the command word. They watched as a mini ball of red streaked out and blew up in the center of the purple mushroom patch, silencing the noise instantly. However this action resulted in a sudden sound of rolling thunder. And where there was thunder...

They ran for Javi's opening just as something ten feet tall stepped out. It was a tall gangly-looking creature that looked like a cross between an Ogre and a frog. Its skin was a mottled green and it had long legs, sharp claws, and a wide mouth. Since Rick still had his **Wand of Fireballs** out he used it just as soon as he thought Javi was clear of the blast. They watched as another small red dot streaked out and literally got soaked up by the Tree. _**N**_ _ **othing happen**_ _ **ed**_ _ **.**_ "OH...SHIT!" Having it soak up spells did not bode well for his ability to help.

Javi had turned and pulled out his swords while Lanie pulled out her mace. Kate spun her **S** **taff** and Kevin had his whip out waiting for it to get in reach. Things only worsened when two more stepped out behind it. Kate began cursing and prepared herself for a fight. Jenny, however, pulled out one of her **Fire Elemental Gems** and held onto it for the moment. The instant the first one was hit by Kevin's whip, she threw the **Gem** behind him and watched it attack one of the two behind the first one.

Since it worked, Kate pulled out one of hers and threw it. Soon there were two **Fire Elementals** fighting the two creatures behind the first one. Kevin got in another hit with his whip when it came within range; he felt two of his three swings hit it, flaying it open. He watched it bleed what appeared to be green sap; it hadn't made a sound. It took a mighty swing and scraped its claws across Javi's breastplate leaving a trail. His armor was damaged a little and now he was pissed. He took three more swings, slashing its chest open, finally getting it to complain.

Using her **Staff** , Kate knocked it on the ground allowing Kevin to slice its face open. With it dead, they noticed the other two dying from **Fire Elementals** that were barely still standing. "We need to get inside while we still have these two and before that storm hits us with lightning," Kate urged then watched as the **Fire Elementals** went in first, followed by Javi, then Jenny, herself, Rick, Kevin, and finally Lanie.

Inside was a wide open space 55 feet deep by 70 feet wide. Just inside were more of those purple mushrooms that instantly spat out a puce cloud and started shrieking up a storm. That had the **Fire Elementals** putting an end to them and the noise.

However while they were doing that, Javi and Jenny found themselves being wrapped up by two vines like the ones outside. Worse, there were four fat plants on short legs that started walking their way. They looked like a mass of leaves and vines with a generally human shape. They had a barrel-shaped body with ropy arms and stumpy legs; the body didn't appear to have a head.

Rick shot another fireball behind them, only to see it get sucked up by the Tree. **"SHIT!"** At this rate he might as well have stayed home and read.

Kevin and Lanie pulled out **Elemental Gems** and crushed them, getting another **Fire Elemental** and an **Earth Elemental** which immediately started pounding on the fat things with short legs. Kate pulled out her dagger and started cutting at the vines that were around her friends' throats. Rick did the same while Kevin hit one of the vine's base that was attacking Jenny. The two **Elementals** were still going strong. It took some time but soon everything was dead and or gone.

Jenny was bent over along with Javi, trying to suck air into their lungs. "I _HATE_ this Tree," Jenny stated boldly. "I thought you said we were supposed to love this Tree?" Kate teasingly questioned. " _SCREW_ loving this damn Tree! I hate this Tree," Jenny said as they noticed a 10 foot wide hallway exiting to their right.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Mr. Castle and Ms. McCord." Simon shook each of their hands. "ID please?" he asked them. Once satisfied, he handed back their drivers licenses. "I'm Simon and I'm your pilot, please follow me, and we'll get in the air. The galley is stocked with the usual favorites and we'll be flying straight to Copenhagen."

"You don't have to stop to refuel?" Rachel questioned since that was what she was expecting. "No ma'am, we have more than enough range to reach the Copenhagen airport without trouble. We have no need to refuel."

They figured out which plane Simon was headed for and followed behind. They watched as he unlocked it and lowered the stairs. "Who is this Katherine?" Rachel asked Rick, her AG thinking kicking into high gear. However, Rick was grinning because he would soon be flying in someone's personal, honking-big, gorgeous, and powerful private jet. That had its own pilot no less.

Inside left both of them speechless. "If you need me for anything, just knock and open the door, or use the phone here or the one in back," Simon informed them after he stowed their luggage and pulled up the stairs. "We should be in the air soon. Enjoy the flight, I'm sure you'll love Copenhagen."

"You've been there before?" Rachel asked. "Yes ma'am, we flew there a couple of months ago. We flew back to New York the next day." Simon answered her question then entered the cockpit, closing the door behind him. He knew he was going to be in Copenhagen for at least a week if not longer. That was why Dina couldn't join him; she had to work. For him, it was going to be a long week or two. The two of them had screwed their brains out just last night in anticipation of not seeing each other for a week or more.

Rachel found goodies and wine so she opened a bottle and selected just a couple of goodies. "This place even has solid sterling silver silverware and don't even get me started on these plates or glasses! I don't know who this Katherine is, but she has exceptional taste." She popped one of her treats in her mouth and washed it down with some very nice wine.

Rick being Rick, filled a plate with treats and had a glass of wine. "The hotel better have a workout room so you can work off all those calories," Rachel advised him. "I'm in perfect shape," he countered, popping one into his mouth with the new intent of it being his last one. "We'll see Rick, we'll see." She was going to put him through his paces in the exercise room of the hotel if it had one. Rick, however, was thinking about horizontal exercise, but he was in for a surprise.

It was hours later and they were just entering the hotel lobby after taking the hotel's shuttle service which turned out to be a town car. Both of them were looking around at the opulence that was this hotel. The exterior alone had been stunning.

Simon had his room key and his bag. "Have a pleasant stay Mr. Castle and Ms. McCord." He bade them goodbye. "Thank you, Simon. Enjoy your time here as well," Rachel replied.

Rachel opened the door and stepped inside. Her bag fell from her hand as her jaw dropped open. This place was bigger and nicer than her home in the Hamptons. She didn't have the money to buy a mansion like Rick had. She had selected the Hamptons to get away from the politics of DC and the big cities of DC and New York City. She lived where the locals who worked there did.

"I think we have the wrong room," she remarked as she watched Rick just walk in and head for the bedroom where he dropped his bag and moved in. Now she had lots of questions for this Katherine. He came back out and picked up her bag, then took her hand and escorted her into the bedroom. "We can check out the bed later, right now I'm starving," he told her. "You're always hungry," she countered. "I'm a growing boy and I need the fuel for later," he said smiling. "And if you grow anymore, you're going on a diet. Count on spending several hours in the exercise room," she informed him, then patted his expanding stomach. If she was going to keep dating him, she wanted him fit like she was, no matter how good he was in bed, or how he made her feel when he was around.

He was already the first boyfriend she'd had this long since college, she was enjoying herself. He hadn't yet done anything to really piss her off, though some of his antics had annoyed her, but those appeared to be tapering off. Still he seemed to know how to have fun, how to take her out of her own mind, and lighten her sour mood.

"I'm taking a shower first. DO NOT forget to call your daughter and find out when we're meeting her downstairs in the lobby," Rachel said firmly then headed for the bathroom. "Want some help?" Rick offered with ulterior motives. "Only if you've called your daughter. Otherwise you can forget it." She smiled when she heard him scrambling all over trying to find his cell phone. She even took her time undressing and turning the shower on. She was just stepping into the shower when a naked Rick joined her. "Would you like a piece of candy young lady?" He smiled wide as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

A little later, Rachel was biting her lip to keep from crying out as she climaxed, then hung onto him while her heart slowed down. She was really learning to like Rick, now if she could just mold him into more of a man instead of a child.

She was drying off next to Rick who was doing the same thing. She was happy in her own skin and wasn't ashamed of being naked next to him. "What did your daughter say?" she asked him. "Voice mail," he answered, already knowing he was in trouble. Getting snapped by her wound-up towel only confirmed it.

"Better dress in shorts, a tee shirt, and sneakers then, because we're hitting the exercise room until she calls you back," she told him which made him groan. "What if she doesn't call back?" He really didn't want to know the answer and suddenly wished he had kept his mouth shut. "Then we're both going to get in a lot of exercise," she informed him and stepped into the bedroom to find something to exercise in.

"Uh-uh mister. Exercise clothes. Now take those off and get dressed." Rachel nixed the bluejeans he had started to put on. "Once you're in better shape, I just might let you find out what it's like to have sex for 6 hours straight," she purred at him. Rick stood there, gaping like a fool. _'Six hours!?'_

He hadn't even made it into the second hour in the exercise room before he was ready to call it quits, wishing his daughter would call, only to see Rachel running on the treadmill still. She looked amazing. Tight clothes that showed off her body, sweat on her face making her incredibly curly hair wet. It had him thinking of going all Neanderthal on her, dragging her back upstairs, and taking her. "Back to work lover or you're sleeping on the sofa. You'll actually have your choice of which one." That was one of the things she'd noticed. It didn't have just one sofa, it had two, as well as a kitchen and dining room, plus the really nice bedroom with a king size bed.

Rick was dying a little, two hours after starting, while Rachel was still going strong. "You need to keep up lover," she teased. "Just searching for my second wind, I'll be right there. I'm going to check that my phone's actually still on." He dragged himself over to his stuff that had his phone, ready to collapse.

He nearly did collapse when he saw he had no missed messages or phone calls. Rachel could tell by his posture that there was nothing. She really did want him in better shape but she also didn't want to kill him. She went over to collect him, then escorted him over to the weights which they did together.

Rick was sure his body was going to revolt and leave him. There wasn't a muscle on his poor body that wasn't screaming. "Into the shower again, big guy." Rachel started stripping him, then shoved him into the shower after turning on the water.

She, however, went to find his phone and placed a call. "Hi Alexis, it's Rachel. Your father's sufficiently tired and will be feeling the pain come morning. I think he's ready for you now." Rachel smiled wide at their little deception which she had learned had been Katherine's idea.

Now she really had a lot of questions for this Katherine.


	53. Chapter 53

**K and K 53**

Javi was back out in front with Kevin right behind him, followed by Kate, Jenny, Rick, then Lanie. Rick had already turned everyone invisible again that needed it, he was likely going to need another of these **W** **ands** before they went out on another adventure at this rate. The corridor opened into an even larger room. The air there was hot and dry. They could see small cracks in the floor, walls, and ceiling. The space itself was softly lit by a really tall block of black something. It looked to be perfectly square save that it reached from floor to just short of the ceiling.

In addition to the black monolith, there were eight columns that looked to be made out of the Tree since they reached from floor to ceiling. "Does anyone understand how this room can be?" Kate questioned softly. Was the Tree bigger on the inside than the outside like a TARDIS? What she didn't see was everyone shaking their heads.

Javi and Kevin had reached the monolith and were looking it over when they suddenly pulled out their weapons. "We're not alone," Javi called out and took three strikes at nothing, as Kevin, from a distance, cracked his whip against something none of the rest of them could see. It was one thing to use invisibility against the bad guys, but it just wasn't fair when they used it against _them_ _._ Whatever it was, it was doing damage to Javi, so Lanie moved in behind him, touching him with her **Wand**. He almost instantly felt better. He was bent over breathing deeply as Lanie did her best on his wounds. They still didn't see what it was he had been fighting. "What was it babe?" Lanie asked him, only to see him shake his head, indicating he had no idea.

While this was happening, they watched as all eight columns disgorged what they were sure were undead. It was just that they didn't have much substance, plus the hollow-looking eyes and no facial features didn't help any. Lanie pulled out her holy symbol and called upon the power of Pelor to relieve them of their undead pain. But nothing happened and they all kept coming towards them slowly.

Jenny pulled out a **Gem** and got an **Earth Elemental** which immediately attacked, drawing three of the eight to it. Kevin cracked his whip on one and did some damage but it kept walking. Rick couldn't just stand there just doing nothing, so he pulled out his **Wand of Magic Missile** and fired at the same one to try and decrease the numbers, only to watch it go off target. He thought was impossible since a Magic Missile _never, ever_ missed. Except that it did this time... He watched it disappear into one of the plant columns and suddenly felt useless.

Javi selected a target and hit it twice, and when his short sword hit it in his second attack, it crumbled into dust. He was happy it had disintegrated, but there were still more to worry about. Lanie swung her mace when one came close enough, and watched it crumble into dust. Kate stood between Rick and Jenny and used her **S** **taff** to put one on its back. She had popped it directly between the eyes as hard as she could. "Search that black thing, maybe it's the cause of this," Kate said then got ready for the next one.

Kevin whipped another one just as the **Earth Elemental** took severe damage but remained standing. Javi hit one with his short sword and watched it crumble to dust. Lanie's hit did the same and suddenly they had just four left with three still standing, two of which were attacking the **Elemental**. Since the **Elemental** was on Kate's side, she pulled out a **Gem** , crushed it, and got another **Earth Elemental** which immediately joined its buddy and attacked those two. "Hurry up," Kate urged Rick and Jenny.

It felt like it was made of stone, his little dagger barely chipping it. "Maybe?" Rick thought of something, then he pulled out another **G** **em** and got another **Earth Elemental**. "Push this over," he commanded, and it immediately started pushing as did Rick and Jenny.

A minute later and the last of the undead were either dead or crumbled to dust at the hands of Lanie and Javi. "I told you guys you could thank me later." Lanie took her "thank you" now by rubbing it in. However her celebration was short lived when another eight stepped out of the Tree columns. "OH BITE ME!" Lanie complained, not seeing Kate smile since she was rubbing off on her friends.

Lanie took out a **Gem** and crushed it, producing an **Earth Elemental** that immediately attacked, providing a barrier between them and and the undead. It allowed everyone to manage the attack easier. The **Elementals** did all the hard work while Lanie and Javi crumbled the undead to dust on their side. Kate planted hers on their backs and bashed them in the face until they were dead dead, not just undead. The last one died just as Rick, Jenny, and their **Earth Elemental** finally managed to tip the black monolith over. They watched it shatter, proving it had been made of marble instead of something more dense, like granite. Now they waited and when nothing happened after a while, they finally celebrated.

It was then that they noticed that there was another corridor, hallway, or tunnel leading away past a couple of the tree columns. "Okay, just how big _is_ this Tree?" Kate asked, looking at their resident Demon. "Why should I know? I only know what my father told me before he died," Jenny said defensively.

They started walking that way and tried to get into a line since these corridors were rather narrow, only allowing one at a time. Just as Javi walked past Rick to take the front, a swarm of seemingly never-ending group of bees came flying out of the corridor, headed their way. _"_ _ **OH GOD, I"M ALLERGIC TO BEE STINGS!**_ _"_ Kate was on the run only to find the original corridor gone. She was trapped as they came flying into the space. Finally thinking instead of panicking, she reached into her backpack and pulled out another **Elemental Gem** and crushed it getting a **Fire Elemental**. Everyone except Rick did the same. He was determined that at least one of his spells would work. So he cast _Burning Hands_ that was supposed to create a fan of flames, except what happened was it turned on him and got sucked up into the wall of the Tree. Now he felt worse than useless just as he got stung, then stung yet again. In fact, despite the Fire Elementals sweeping flaming hands, everyone got stung several times.

They watched as the last of the bees were burnt by the Fire Elementals. "Rick, help..." a weak voice called out. " **NO,** **OH NO!** " Rick found Kate lying on the ground, all swelled up, as she struggled to breathe. " **LAN** **I** **E!** " Rick screamed. He was too afraid he would hurt her more if he even touched her. "WOW!" Lanie had never seen anything like it. She had said she had an allergy to bee stings, but this looked worse than that. Sure the stings hurt and were still hurting, but this was so much more. She had never seen anyone with anaphalaxis. She didn't even know what it was even though she was looking right at Kate.

As Lanie pulled out a **W** **and** and touched her with it, (Neutralize poison) Rick prayed the Tree didn't suck up her magic, too, as it had with his. Then he watched as Lanie cast a spell, then touched her, (Remove Disease) followed by using her **S** **taff** and touching her with it. (Heal spell) "I don't know of anything else to do," Lanie admitted helplessly as they all watched Kate.

It was an hour later and Kate was looking so much better. Most of the puffiness was gone, she was breathing better, and had actually sat up. "I hate bees." If the people in her world had ever learned that, assuming they had found her, she would have died. It was just her luck that Katherine's body had the same allergic reaction. "Better?" Rick asked as he blinked back his tears. He had been so sure he was going to lose her to a few little stings. "Help me up?" Kate asked then raised her arms. She picked up her staff and started spinning it to show that she was good to go. Now everyone in the group knew her weakness, something she had worked hard all her life to keep hidden. An assassin needed to be free of weaknesses.

"Let's go." Kate walked back to the only corridor left for them to walk through and went deeper into the Tree, if they actually were getting anywhere at all. The corridor opened up into a large and really tall space that was roughly 70 feet in diameter. On the far end, about 20 feet in from the far wall, was something no one was expecting. It was quite tall, it looked like an animated tree. Its skin looked thick and was solid black with a bark-like structure. Its arms were gnarled like branches, and its legs looked like the split trunk of a tree. Above the eyes and along the head were dozens of smaller branches, all devoid of leaves.

"You have done well to make it this far. Now it is time to die." The tree actually spoke and its branches began to move. What happened did not make anyone happy as plants grew out of the floor and walls, grabbing all of them. Before he couldn't even move a finger, Rick tried another spell. He shot a _Lightning Bolt_ directly at the talking Tree, and watched it go right around him; it was absorbed into the Tree. Then he was gripped by the vines which began being strangling him to death.

All of the rest except Javi took out either an **Earth Elemental Gem** or a **Fire Elemental Gem** and crushed them, giving them two **Fire Elementals** and two **Earth Elementals**. Javi pulled out his **Horn of Valhalla** and blew it, gaining him three human barbarians who promptly attacked the talking Tree. Immediately after that, the group were all being crushed by plants as vines wrapped themselves around them and their necks, choking them. Kate had managed to get her dagger out and was trying to cut the vines at her throat until her arm couldn't move anymore. She did, however, see the talking Tree lift a leg then stomp on one of the human barbarians, crushing him with a sickening, popping splat, showing just how strong the talking Tree was.

They were desperately grabbing at the vines wrapped around their throats when suddenly all the vines withdrew. All of them collapsed to their hands and knees, sucking in much needed air. Finally, after a minute, they were able to stand and found the **Elementals** were still with them. Unfortunately for the talking tree, it was a burnt-to-a-crisp black twig lying on the ground. "Vulnerable to fire I'm guessing," Rick offered. It made sense to Kate, considering all the forest fires that happened in her world. "Mini forest fire," she said, happy it was gone. "In the Hobbit movies the Ents were all brown with lots of leaves. Why was this guy all black?" Kate questioned. "Demon Tree," Jenny replied softly, even if she didn't know what a Hobbit movie or an Ent was, which made sense to Kate.

"Now what do we do?" Kate asked, since somehow this didn't feel like the end. However her question was answered for her, as the only opening squeezed closed while they watched, then the floor seemed to be falling away like sand running out of an hourglass. They were sucked into its mini tornado along with the **Elementals**. They each drew in a deep breath before going under. It felt like it lasted forever and was really abrasive on their skin, they could feel their skin being cut.

They eventually found themselves falling from a tall ceiling. Luckily for Kate, she was able to use the wall to slow herself down. Lanie activated her **Boots** and simply flew down. The others, however, fell the entire distance and were badly hurt. Their **Elementals** were still with them and split up to attack the two, black, talking Trees that they found not far away. One **Earth** and one **Fire Elemental** attacked each Tree. Kate pulled out a potion and helped Rick drink it, while Lanie used up three charges on her **Wand** and had the others standing quickly.

They were on one side of a massive space that was about the shape of an egg. Dead center was a black something floating above the ground. On either side of that, there were hundreds of tree roots spreading out from the center. To either side of them were the two black Treants that were busy attacking and being attacked. There was 60 feet between them and this black thing hanging in the center. On the far side they could see two of those plant things with short legs that just stood there for now. The heat there was oppressive and made it difficult to breathe.

They were down to just a **Fire Elemental** on each black Treant which had everyone crushing another **Gem** , releasing two **Fire Elementals** , two **Air Elementals** , and two **Water Elementals**. The two Treants were dead in almost no time. All of them walked forward toward the black thing floating in midair. That was until they walked right into an invisible wall that they pounded on, getting them nowhere.

"Okay, how do we get inside or even to the other side?" Kate queried then ordered the **Water Elementals** to go through the roots as well as the **Air Elementals** who slowly managed to do just that. Then they attacked those short legged plant men. After the plant men died, they were missing an **Air Elemental** and a **Water Elemental**. "Now how do we get past this thing?" Kate tapped it. "You, fly up and then come down directly above this black thing," Kate commanded the **Air Elemental**. They watched it fly up and hit a wall, then it fought its way all the way around till it and the remaining **Fire Elemental** disappeared. It also meant their **Earth Elementals** disappeared as well, leaving just them. "Now what?" Kate asked.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Let's go Rick, I'm hungry," Rachel called out. She was already showered and dressed. When Rick finally emerged from the bedroom into their huge living room, she asked somewhat sharply, "What takes you so long to get ready? You don't have hair like I do. You don't wear make-up." She ticked off a couple of things that he didn't have to worry about. "It takes time to look this ruggedly handsome," Rick defended himself. "Uh-huh." She wasn't buying it and glared at him. "That, and I can barely raise my arms and my legs are killing me," he admitted and blamed Rachel for his present condition.

"If you exercised more often, you wouldn't have this problem," Rachel pointed out, leaving out that even her legs were hurting, and yet here she was, all dressed up for him, even wearing heels. "Now let's go, I need food." Rachel began walking away, forcing Rick and his sore legs to try and catch up, even though it did look like he was limping on both legs. Thankfully the elevators were still working, he didn't think he could make it down to the ground floor even if the building was on fire. "You'll live." Rachel kissed his cheek and smiled at him. Rick figured he might live but he wasn't going to enjoy it.

When they reached the ground floor, Rachel strode out of the elevator purposefully, while Rick mostly shuffled his feet, willing the pain in his legs to go away. Rachel's head was on a swivel as she looked for someone that fit the child's pictures she had seen. She took a risk that it was the young woman with short, fiery red hair who was sitting with an older than her and about Rachel's age, thin brunette woman standing next to her. Each was dressed for dinner just like she had been asked to do. Leaving Rick behind to catch up, she went over to them.

"Alexis Castle?" Rachel inquired. Alexis looked at her like she was being inspected, however Alexis stood up. "You must be Rachel McCord." She offered her hand and Rachel took it in both of hers. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. Your father's talked about you nonstop. He's in pain and can barely walk so he's all yours, I doubt he can even walk away, let alone run," Rachel said. Katherine slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"You must be Katherine." Rachel sized her up and could tell she was in excellent shape. She could see that her arms were well muscled for a woman as thin as she was. Her hair was in large curls, unlike her own natural tight curls. She was also lovely, if not drop-dead gorgeous dressed like she was, not that Alexis herself was far behind. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I wanted to thank you for this. I've had my own hands full getting her this far," Katherine admitted, convinced that Rachel's time in this wasn't any easier.

"ALEXIS?" a shocked voice called out. He didn't know today was the day they were to meet in the lobby. "We'll leave you two to talk. We'll be in the bar," Rachel told them. Katherine bent down to her ear. "Talk to him Lex, he's your father and you know that you love him." Katherine kissed her head and went with Rachel toward what looked like the bar which turned out to be called Balthazar. It was a really long, narrow bar with minimal seating on the opposite side along the outside wall. They also seemed to like the color purple in this hotel as some of the seating had the color purple in them.

"Alexis..." Rick limped his way a little closer which had Alexis biting back a smile at his obvious discomfort. "I'm sorry pumpkin, I'm really really sorry. I don't have a good explanation for what happened. Somehow it just came to mind and got out." Rick was hurting for what he had done, but he apologized without actually saying anything.

"What you did was insulting. You taught me not to judge and yet that's exactly what you did. You knew I loved Kat, but you judged her before she could even say a word. You condemned both of us in a heartbeat. You didn't respect my choices when I was with Pi, and while in the long run you might have been right, it still hurt Dad. And yet you didn't learn a thing from that. You didn't respect my choice this time either."

"I'm not your little girl anymore, I need to be able to make my own choices. You don't know how much your dying hurt. It was soul crushing. But when you came back, the first thing you did was to impose your will. You insulted me and the person I love. You're an ass, Dad. You really do need to grow up and stop dictating terms and let me live my life." And Alexis walked away toward the bar where the other two went.

"Alexis wait...please!" Rick moved to catch up to her. "OW!" His hand went down to his hamstring though that wasn't the only part of him that was sore. "Pumpkin wait!" Rick called out again, only to see her keep walking away from him. His heart broke as he watched his daughter walk away and not look back. "Little girl," Rick whispered to himself. She was awfully tall and old, not to mentioned pissed off at him, for a little girl.

He limped after her into the bar where he found her being hugged tightly by a grown woman who said she loved her and whom his daughter was obviously in love with. Just how was he going to reconcile her being happy with another woman? He needed to come up with a way, a way to think differently. Even Rachel was rubbing her arm and talking to her. Everyone was on her side and no one was on his side. Maybe his side was the wrong side... However, it still left him with a problem.


	54. Chapter 54

**K and K 54**

Kate and the others had to come up with a plan since pounding on it with everything they had wasn't even scratching whatever this wall was. This just had to be what they were after since it was so well guarded. They were also starting to find that it was getting cold since they could see their breath.

"We didn't bring any warm clothes," Rick pointed out since only the women had the **Rings of Warmth** from their last expedition. The temperature was dropping fast and the guys were starting to slap themselves, rubbing their hands, and blowing into them. "Set up the tent babe before you three freeze to death," Kate told him. It only took seconds before all of them were inside the tent where it was warm, getting the guys to calm down. Jenny even set up her tent and handed them a container. "Here, I asked for hot tea, so this should help warm up your insides."

"We still need a plan. What **Elemental Gems** do we still have?" Kate had something she wanted to at least try. A few of them were down to just one **G** **em** while a couple of them still had two. "I need an **Earth Elemental**. I want to see if it can dig itself inside and bring whatever it is back out." Kate took the **G** **em** she was offered outside with Lanie and Jenny following her.

Outside they found everything, but what was on the other side of the invisible wall, frozen solid. "This better still work. It may not be dirt but even plants can be damaged, right?" Kate asked then shattered the **G** **em** and ordered her **Earth Elemental** to dig to the other side and retrieve what was there. It took time but it dug itself down and disappeared. It still hadn't shown up on the other side. "Do we have another one?" Kate was beginning to worry that time was up and the **Elemental** was gone, when suddenly plant matter started flying and a hole appeared. The **Elemental** hopped out and suddenly vanished. "DAMN IT!" Kate pounded on the wall. They were _so_ close.

"The tunnel it dug is still there; crush the **Air Elemental Gem** and send it in," Kate called out. She saw Lanie crush her **G** **em** then they watched as a tornado went down the hole and quickly popped up the other side. **The Elemental** grabbed whatever it was and went back down the hole, only to pop up on their side and hand over whatever it was to Lanie.

All three of them went back in the tent where the men were nice and warm. "We got it, but what do we do with whatever it is?" Kate asked. Lanie opened her palm to show what it was. "It's kind of big, but it reminds me of a seed," Javi put forth. "Actually that makes sense. Trees are grown from seeds, some small and tiny while others are larger," Rick agreed. "So we crush it or chop it into tiny pieces," Kate said then took it from Lanie and looked at Javi wearing his two swords. "Ready?" Kate looked at him as he unsheathed both swords. She placed it on the edge of the fire pit that was part of the tent. Javi began by chopping it into as many tiny slices as he could followed by using the handle of a dagger to grind what they found into powder.

It wasn't until the girls ventured outside the tent that they found the Tree withering, exposing the outside. In only minutes they were all outside breathing fresh warm air, watching as the roots withered into dust.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The group attended the second festival in two days. They were pampered and forever made honorary members of the town council. Philyra summed it all up. "Pelor has shined his light on you and your friends, sister. It has been an honor meeting you." She handed Lanie a scroll case. "My personal thanks for what you have done for our city. You and your friends will always be welcome here. May the light of Pelor shine on you always." Then she bowed to Lanie. The scroll, Lanie found out later, was a spell called _Heavenly Host_ _._ It would summon Archons to fight for whomever cast the spell. Little Lantern Archons at first, followed ten minutes later by more powerful Hound Archons. _'Archons are Celestials from the plane of Celestia. They are the natural enemies of Demons.'_

They were escorted to the mirror having been paid what was agreed. 180,000 in gold pieces, some of which was in gems since they didn't actually have that much in coin after all of the damage. Stepping through the mirror, they soon found themselves being greeted by three Cloud Giants then being taken to Yuri who wanted to hear everything. "Lolth's evil knows no bounds. It isn't enough that she wants to destroy and rule this world but she has to destroy and rule other worlds as well."

"My daughter is back in Silverymoon tending to her job. I will inform her that you have yet again successfully completed your task. This guard will escort you safely to our gate. Until next time," Yuri said and let them leave.

They picked up their horses and headed for Silverymoon to spend the most amount of money any of them had ever had.

Rick - **Robe of the Archmagi**. It was a white set of robes that, to Kate, made him look extremely regal and handsome and showed that he had power and grace. It increased his armor so he would be more difficult to hit. He actually had resistance to spells that were cast on him without his approval. It also helped him keep his health and finally it also made every spell he cast just a little more powerful. 75,000 gold pieces. He also added a **Ring of Invisibility**. 20,000 gold pieces.

Lanie - **Strand of Prayer Beads**. It consisted of six different beads that could each be used once per day with the exception of one, which was a single use. **Bead of Blessing** would allow her to bless anything she chose, be it a person or an object. **Bead of Healing** allowed her to cast _Cure serious Wounds,_ _Remove Blindness/Deafness,_ or _Remove Disease._ **Bead of Karma** increased the power of any spell she normally cast for the next ten minutes each time it was used. **Bead of Smiting** allowed her to cast _Chaos Hammer, Holy Smite, Order's Wrath,_ or _Unholy Blight._ One spell per day. **Bead of Summons** would allow her to summon a powerful creature from the Outer Planes (an Angel in her case) to aid her for exactly 24 hours. (It had better be for a really good reason or Pelor will punish her for using one of his Angels frivolously). This bead could be used only once. Once used it would crumble to dust. **Bead of Wind Walking** would allow her to cast a _Wind Walk_ spell daily. 95,800 gold pieces.

Jenny - **Eyes of Petrification** allowed her to gaze at a person or monster and caused it to be turned to stone if it was susceptible to this type of attack. She could only use it for a combined five minutes of time every 24 hours. They were crystals that fitted over her eyes. Like several other magical items, it required a command word to work. (Think contact lenses). 98,000 gold pieces.

Javi - **Brilliant Energy** added to his longsword. This bonus allowed his weapon to pass through nonliving matter like it didn't exist, meaning that any armor, like what he wore, was ignored when he swung to hit someone or something, striking only flesh. 32,000 gold pieces. He also added additional magic power to his armor making it still harder for someone to hit him. 16,000 gold pieces. He then added a **Ring of X-Ray Vision**. It allowed him to see through three feet of stone, one inch of common metal, or up to three feet of wood or dirt when he wished to use it. However it tired out his eyes causing pain and damage if used for more than ten minutes every 24 hours. 25,000 gold pieces.

Kevin - **Ring of Three Wishes**. It has three rubies on the ring that each allowed a _Wish_ spell to be cast. As powerful as it sounded, a _Wish_ spell had limits on what it could affect or duplicate, plus the wording had to be precise. _'If you asked for one million bucks you just might get one million animals.'_ 97,950 gold pieces.

Kate - **Ring of Regeneration**. It allowed the wearer to recover from damage similar to a _Cure Moderate Wounds_ spell only on a continual basis every few minutes. If the wearer lost a limb, an organ, or any other body part while wearing the ring, it would regenerate what was lost within 24 hours. 90,000 gold pieces. She also added six **Elemental Gems** : two **Air** , two **Water** , and 2 **Earth**. 15,000 gold pieces.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick was limping his way toward the three of them when Alexis's cell phone rang. "Hello." Alexis listened. "Hello my darling girl! How are things with your father?" Martha was curious. "Hi Grams!" Alexis suddenly perked up and it only made Rick's heart hurt more. "Dad's still an ass. He offered a general heartless apology for what he'd done and was thinking." He wanted to sink through the floor. Katherine looked like Alexis's pain was her pain and looked down at the floor. Rachel stiffened at this news and was going to give Rick a piece of her mind. "I'm sorry dear. Give him some time, he'll come around. I was wondering...is your offer still available?" Martha asked her.

"Of course Grams! I'll ask Kat to call Simon and have him fly back to New York tomorrow. He'll probably need to rest before flying again. So how about if he flies you here the day after he flies there?" Alexis was happy to have her. "We'll get you a room where we can find one. Our spare bedroom isn't big enough to fit a baby in even if it does have a bed in it." They hadn't selected the apartment because of the bedrooms.

"I'll be ready darling. It'll be nice to meet Simon again." Martha was smiling and hoping he had dumped his girlfriend since she didn't steal from others. Alexis had heard that loud and clear and it had her closing her eyes. She really didn't need to know what her grandmother did.

"Kat and I can delay our visit out to the island until you get here." Alexis was bouncing and smiling wide. After her meeting with her father, this was a light in a dark cloud. "Bye Grams." Alexis ended the call. "Grams is coming! ...Please call Simon?" Alexis looked at Katherine. "I'll be right back." She kissed Alexis's cheek then scowled at Rick when she noticed him and walked past him. It only made Rick want to disappear even more.

"Alexis, ...pumpkin?" He stepped in closer and was finally noticed by Alexis and Rachel. Alexis spun in place and fixed him with a stare that should have killed him out right. Rachel looked at him with a prayer on her lips. "I'm pretty sure you'll allow Rachel to come either way. So, may I please come with you to this island of yours? If I'm going to understand the connection between you and Kat, ...Katherine, I need to spend time with both of you," Rick said softly, pleading with his eyes. Alexis thought it over and actually kept silent after making up her mind so that her dad would sweat over her answer. She had terms. "You promise to keep an open mind? To actually act the way you taught me how to treat people? Give Kat a chance which you have yet to do?"

"YES, YES! I promise," Rick quickly responded and placed a hand over his heart. Then it occurred to him that perhaps he had responded too quickly. "Please Alexis, give me a chance to make this right." He already knew Rachel was on her side. "Alright Dad. But just so you're clear on this - I love Kat and she _isn't_ Pi. This is different. I'm not leaving her just because you don't approve. You're going to have to adapt and act on what you've preached," she warned him. "I promise," he pledged, but didn't however get the hug from her that he so desperately wanted.

The three of them were sipping their glasses of wine when Katherine finally returned. Alexis handed her a glass. "Thanks. Simon will leave in the morning and stay for the day then fly Martha here the following morning. We should be able to visit the site the day after using our boat," Katherine said. "You already have a boat?" Rick didn't know that and thought they were going to need to find a water taxi. "We've actually bought three of them. We have one here, another will arrive next month, and the last is being built and will be ready in about 2 years," Alexis explained.

Rick was impressed. "At least you're putting my money to good use," he remarked, thinking it was the money he had left her and his mother after his death, something Rachel didn't yet know anything about. "Kat bought all the boats using her money, and she's not buying me, Dad." Alexis cut him off at the pass in the event that was where his mind was going, given what he thought about Katherine. "Okay." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Dinner?" he asked, changing the subject so he didn't say or do something stupid now after at least making _some_ progress. "We're eating here in the hotel tonight," Alexis told him.

Martial had lovely tile floors, the larger tables like theirs, which seated four people, had fine linen cloths covering them. Every meal was served on a silver plate with a stainless steel cover that was removed with much fanfare, as though they were displaying the most delicious and amazing meal ever to be eaten. The menu was small and since Katherine didn't understand more than half of it, she made her choice between the two she did understand. Beef Tenderloin with beetroot, smoked marrow, pistachio, and wasabi. "WOW!" When Katherine tried the wasabi, the tears started. So she grabbed her glass of ice water to cool the fire in her mouth. Desert was ice cream with honey, blackberries, and pistachio. Alexis stole a few bites from Katherine's plate just as Rachel did with Rick's. "If you wanted one, we can still order you one," he teased. "This way is much more fun," Rachel countered as Alexis smiled for the first time that night.

It wasn't late yet and even though Rick's legs were screaming at him, they agreed to taking a walk around the area since Katherine and Alexis had spent all their time here, so far, looking around. They were forced to walk slowly since slow was Rick's fastest speed.

It was hours later and Rick had shuffled down the hall to their room. Rachel held the door open for him and watched him move slowly and painfully into the bedroom. She pulled off her high heels and massaged her aching feet before walking into the bedroom where she found him spread out, lying on his back on the bed. "Tired?" Rachel asked as she unzipped her dress and walked to the closet. "I'm dead," he declared tiredly. "I don't think there's a muscle that isn't killing me," he admitted. Rachel smiled, still wearing her bra and panties, then took something out of her suitcase.

"How tired?" she asked while purring and slapping her leg with the whip she had taken out of her suitcase. The sound of the whip had him lifting his head to look at her. Rachel was a take charge kind of woman who had been surprising him ever since they had met. He had been introduced to her whip only a few days ago in a love making session which lasted almost all night long. "I'll live," Rick told her and smiled wide. "We'll just have to see about that." Then Rachel hit his pant leg with her whip. She was enjoying him a lot, plus he wasn't scared and actually made her brave enough to try out some of her more questionable methods of making love to a man.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It had been another month since the encounter through the mirror with the Demon Tree. Rick didn't find anything in his Demon books about a Demon Tree, but then, he didn't have that many books and he had no reason to doubt Jenny. She had exposed herself and her family history to the rest of them. If anything, Kevin was taking it on the chin a little since he obviously knew and had kept it secret. Though they all understood why.

He was actually making progress on the massive number of books they had recently acquired. Granted, he still had a long ways to go, but he was happy and Kate and the others didn't seem to mind him losing himself in their library to read.

Storm and Dapper's pups were finally showing some activity. Due to their increased mobility, Dapper had taken to guarding the double door opening into the stables, keeping them trapped inside. Storm was being a good mother and was doing her part.

"DINNER!" Kate yelled up and down the stairs which got Dapper barking, however his bark was different, then their guard dog started barking as well. That had Kate racing down the stairs to calm them down. "Guri, what brings you by?" she asked in surprise. "You want to stay for dinner? ...I only just finished," she offered. "So I heard. If you will have me, I would be happy to stay and eat with you." Guri needed to open up and this was a first step. "Excellent! Come on up, the others should be at the table by now."

Kate headed upstairs with Guri following in her Elf disguise. "Guri? What brings you to our home?" Rick greeted her. "She's staying for dinner," Kate mentioned as she brought out two deep, twelve inch skillets, each filled with two different recipes. "With six mouths to feed, I've found that not everyone loves the same thing, so you have your choice," Kate explained as Guri sat next to Jenny. "This one is sausages, inch long scallion pieces, and whole baby tomatoes from our garden, surrounded by an herbed bread pudding. And this one is a three cheese vegetable lasagna. Typically it's served with meat in it, but since our garden's producing almost more than we can use, I replaced the meat with more vegetables."

"This is really good!" Guri's eyes were wide open as she stuffed more pudding into her mouth. "Thanks." Kate tried to hide her face; she wasn't one for much praise. "I think I've finally figured out how to use the damper on the stove so I don't burn anything anymore."

Guri, it turned out, was a big eater. She was starting on her second plateful, this time trying the lasagna. "This is unusual but nice. Your spices that I taste in this have been a big hit in the city. Even Father has started using them," Guri informed them. This was a good thing since they were going to make a trip into Silverymoon tomorrow, their first in almost a month, meaning they had a lot more spices than usual. They would be using all of their pack mules and all of them would go this time.

Guri decided it was time while she was eating. The others had finished and Kate was spooning out something called ice cream. From the look of it, Guri was going to be trying that too. "Father would like your help again," she told them. "He wants us to help with the war?" Rick wasn't sure he was up for that. "No, you will be using a different mirror," Guri said. "I don't understand. The mirror with the war on the other side is the only one left." Rick really didn't understand. It forced her to pause, then she continued with an explanation. "A Nexus, in this case, is made up of five mirrors. Five primary mirrors that can be attuned to more than one mirror on the other side. So long as the primary mirrors exists, they can be used to travel to other worlds that have mirrors in them."

"Now you've lost me, or maybe I was already lost. If you need a mirror on both sides, how did the other mirror in the other world get there?" Kate questioned. "It did not. A primary mirror can make any mirror, even on another world, the other mirror. You simply need that mirror to get back." Guri explained. "So if I understand this correctly, you have five primary mirrors and each of these five mirrors can be used to reach any number of other worlds. You just need to select another mirror on the other side," Rick wanted to be sure he understood what she was saying. "Correct. What we do not know is how many other mirrors each primary mirror can be connected to. It may be a limited number or an unlimited number. In any case, it can only be opened to one mirror at a time. Once that connection is made, it can only be terminated on the other end," Guri tried to explain.

Then it hit Kate. "So when I had that **Elemental** destroy the mirror on the other side, that allowed the mirror on this side to open to a different one." Kate thought she understood. "Correct." Guri confirmed her understanding of how the mirrors worked. "So if we go through the other mirrors and find a way to destroy that mirror we can open this mirror to still others," Kate said. "Again correct. The trick is finding another mirror in a world to which Lolth has already spread her influence."

All of them were silent for a time. "If these five mirrors are that powerful, Lolth's going to want those mirrors back. She's going to come get them," Rick pointed out a problem. Lose a mirror on this side while they were on the other side, and they would be trapped there, possibly forever. "The mirrors are in rooms that do not exist. No one can teleport or gate into those rooms, much like your home here. In addition she cannot connect to the mirrors or determine where they are located using any magical means," Guri assured them.

"So what do you want from us? Going through another mirror, I assume." Rick said. "Correct. However, this time I will be going with you as I am now," Guri suddenly announced. That had everyone shocked. " _You're going with us?_ ...Must be big this time." Rick finally found his voice. "Possibly. We have monitored the mirror on the other side and we have seen something that makes us believe this mirror may be more important than the others." She offered a warning. "And what would that be?" He was afraid of her answer but asked anyway. "The single person we saw in the mirror which appears to be her bedroom has been confirmed amongst us as being part Aquatic Elf and part Dragon, likely a Black Dragon from the look of her." Guri waited for the eruption.

"DRAGONS!? Like real, honest-to-god, fire-breathing dragons?" Kate exclaimed. "Black Dragons spit acid, but yes, likely at least one true Dragon is on the other side." Guri confirmed and heard a lot of moaning. She feared they would reject this task.

"Babe, are dragons in this world as bad as I think? In my world, dragons are fantasy, the strongest fantasy beasts ever written about. Enormous in size and near impossible to kill, with scales harder than diamonds, let alone breathing fire." Kate was rattled. "Pretty much, yeah. Age determines size and strength. Black Dragons breathe a line of acid that's tremendously damaging. They can breathe underwater, have great strength, and if old enough, they can even cast spells," Rick asserted.

Kate all but collapsed in her chair much like the others were doing. "Why don't we just kill ourselves now instead of letting this dragon do it for us?" She rested her head on the table. "Technically we do not know that there will be a Black Dragon or any Dragon at all, just that whoever this person is, she looks to be half-Elf and half-Dragon," Guri countered. "Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better." Kate spoke sarcastically to the table since her forehead was resting on it.

"Would the fact that my father is offering double the normal amount make a difference? Plus I have brought magical necklaces that will allow you to breathe water and be able to survive the crushing depth of a deep ocean," Guri offered which had Kate lifting up her head to look at her. "In addition, Dragons tend to have large treasure hoards, but the trick is finding it," Guri said. "And we get to keep everything we find?" Kate asked and watched as Guri nodded. "Two weeks to allow us to go to Silverymoon with the money you have brought with you?" Kate questioned and watched as Guri nodded again and smiled, knowing that if Kate was in, the others would follow. She was happy that the trust she and her father had placed in them was warranted. They were honorable and trustworthy humans which, she was finding out even in Silverymoon, was a little rare.


	55. Chapter 55

**K and K 55**

Guest - Who isn't reading anymore. Books have a nice long synopsis explaining the story inside. I get basically one sentence. If you didn't like the brief snipit on the inside cover, you don't spend the $25 for the hardcover or $7 for the soft. Insulting something you didn't have to pay a dime for isn't insulting to me. It does however show your true colors, not that you apparently care.

Everyone else - Sorry for that. Also the website is still blocking my ability to respond to any review's that anyone leaves. I'm not ignoring you. Honest.

Not everything i write is to everyone's taste. I've accepted that fact, so long as everyone else has learned that, we'll get along famously. I find rehashing what was in Canon boring, so i create different worlds for our characters to live in. A little different Rick, a little different Kate. More fun to write and in my humble opinion more fun to read. That or watch re-runs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Guri was given a bedroom on one of the two floors while they traveled into Silverymoon. She even offered to look after the wolves while they were gone. "Trust me, I know what I am doing," Guri stated.

After checking into their rooms at their favorite inn, they went to sell their spices which gave each of them another 5,600 gold pieces to go with the 30,000 gold pieces that Guri had provided along with what little some of them had left.

Kate had even brought samples of what she was creating for women and showed them to a number of shops in the city showing them what she was capable of making in small numbers for now. Each were impressed and offered to sell her items and offer shelf space for a small fee when she was ready. She had thanked them and given them a silver piece for them and their employees as part of her thank you.

Since they had proven to be useful, they went shopping for more **Elemental Gems**. Within a week they were able to obtain four **Water** and two **Air Elementals** in addition to four **Earth** and two **Fire**. The **Fire Elementals** were mostly just for the hell of it. "Think of them as backup when we have nothing else," Kate offered.

Javi - He added **Acid** **R** **esistance** to his armor. It wasn't perfect protection but at least if he was hit with it the damage would be less. - 18,000 gold pieces. He also chose to add Bane - Dragon to his longsword. This meant it would be easier to hit and do a little extra damage to a true dragon. - 2,000 gold pieces.

Kevin - He did the same for his armor. - 18,000 gold pieces. Kevin needed to be careful when he was under water since his whip would be useless in the water. The resistance of the water would prevent it from working properly.

Lanie - She did the same for her armor. - 18,000 gold pieces.

Rick - He decided to add _See Invisibility_ with a _Permanency_ spell just like Kevin and Javi had done. - 10,275 gold pieces.

Jenny - She offered to take the **Headband of Intellect** and since her spells worked off of how good she looked, she purchased **Earrings of Charisma**. Those little wonders increased her beauty as well as increased the capabilities of the spells she did know which was still just the two spells. - 16,000 gold pieces.

Kate - She found something that had her interest, except she had to buy three different jars. **Sovereign Glue** 's jar held seven ounces of glue. Each ounce would cover one square foot and would bond two items together permanently if given one minute to set. - 2,500 gold pieces. One ounce of the **Salve of Slipperiness** had to be added to the **Sovereign Glue** jar each time she opened it or the **Sovereign Glue** would harden inside the jar. - 1,000 gold pieces. The jar of **Universal Solvent** could unbond any glue. - 50 gold pieces.

The rest of the gold pieces were saved for later. Since they were done shopping, they headed back home so Jenny could go hire the blacksmith's two sons once again. "Their home looks _so_ much better now. I'm thinking I know where the copper and silver pieces are going." Jenny was smiling wide.

They were at the gates of the Cloud Giant's home just after dinner and escorted to the mirror room and told to wait. They took the time to look into the mirror and study what was on the other side. The room looked small, barely ten feet by ten feet. It had a simple looking bed or cot with high end sheets and comforter. "One gold piece says those sheets and comforter are magical," Jenny offered. She loved the bedding they'd stolen from the Drow. "No bet," Kate told her since she agreed. "Same here sister," Lanie added. There was a foot locker and not much else. "Not many feminine touches," Jenny pointed out. "And see all the sand on what looks like a stone floor," Javi remarked. That told each of them that a beach wasn't far away, and where there was a beach, there was water.

A short knock and in walked Guri, geared up and ready to go. "I suggest we go while it is still dark," she said knowing that the sun had set about four hours ago and was close to midnight there.

Guri was dressed in normal but really nice clothes that actually had a touch of color here and there. She was wearing Magical **Elven Chain** that had _Glamered_ on it (it allowed armor to look like the person was not wearing any armor at all, deceiving her attacker into thinking she would be easy to deal with), it also had _Fortification,_ which prevented massive damage from a single blow. _Arrow Deflection_ had been added which literally deflected any arrow fired her direction, causing it to deflect off to one side or the other. And it had _Spell Resistance,_ which helped to prevent spells from affecting her much like Rick's **R** **obes**.

On her shoulders hung a **Cloak of Displacement-Major** (It meant she wasn't where an attacker though she was and had a 50% chance of missing when the attacker swung or shot arrows at her). She wore **Boots of Striding and Springing** just like Kate's and **Bracers of Archery-Greater**. The **Bracers** magically increased her ability to hit what she aimed at and also did additional damage. She was also wearing a **Belt of Giant Strength** just like the one Javi wore.

She had a **Longbow** over her shoulder. The **Bow of the Wintermoon** was carved from Rowan and inlaid with silver tracery in an Elven design. Its tips were shod with silver and its grip was wound with a blue metal wire. It allowed her full strength to be added to the damage the arrow did since the drawstring pull was so tight. It also transferred **Cold Burst** to each arrow fired. And it had **Bane Drow** on it, meaning it was easier to hit them with an arrow and did additional damage.

Hanging at her waist was a **Quiver of Ehlona** , just like Javi's, that held 60 highly magical **Raptor Arrows** (They were never destroyed no matter if she hit or missed and could be retrieved after firing them, provided she could reach them) along with six **Javelins of Lightning**. On the other side of her waist was a **Longsword**. It was an **Eleven Moon Blade** (It was a highly magical sword that had a Primary Purpose of killing Drow. Any strike on a Drow automatically did double the normal damage.) It also had _Ghost Touch, Keen,_ and _Speed._ In addition the **S** **cabbard** it was kept in was Magical that transferred _Vorpal_ (Extra chance of severing off a limb on each hit) onto the blade each time it was drawn for use up to three times a day.

Her **B** **ackpack** was just like their **B** **ackpack** **s** and she had a sleeping bag just like theirs. She also had a **Bag of Holding** that held all of her **potions**. Only problem was, it meant she had to search for what she wanted. However she had physically tagged each one so she knew what each one was by touch. All 18 of them. Another **Bag of Holding** held her 23,000 gold pieces, and 22 gems worth a total of 88,000 gold pieces combined.

She wore two **R** **ings** , **Regeneration** and **Djinni Calling** (It summoned a Genie to serve her needs for one hour every 24 hours). However, she had a third **R** **ing** that she presently wasn't wearing, a **Ring of Invisibility**. She was wearing a **Choker** on her neck that enabled _Water Breathing_ and allowed the wearer to survive the pressure of the depths of an ocean.

There were four **Elemental Gems** , two **Water** and two **Air** in her **Backpack** as well as a **Wand of Greater Invisibility** (Just like Invisibility except she stayed invisible after making an offensive action, except it had a time limit) and a **Wand of Stoneskin**. She had a **Staff of Passage** (Dimension Door 1ch, Passwall 1ch, Phase Door 2ch, Greater Teleport 2ch, Astral projection 2ch) on her back between her body and her **B** **ackpack**.

And she also had Permanent _See Invisibility_ as well as _Tongues_ and _Comprehend Languages_.

Guri was dangerous to her opponents. They didn't know what her items were capable of doing, they only saw what she had or was wearing. Kevin could only tell what she was wearing that was magical, which was damn near everything.

"Here, put these on. These are your Water Breathing necklaces that also allow you to survive the pressure of deep water of an ocean." Guri handed one to each of them. It turned out each one was a choker much like hers was. "We are going to need to be careful as we enter. As you have likely noticed the space in the mirror is very small," Guri warned them. "Place me where you want me. I am not in charge here. You have learned and fought together and know what each person can do. However, I am quite capable," Guri said, willing to let them decide.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

They hadn't seen each other for the last two days. Martha was flying in today and Alexis had gotten lucky and found an open room for the next week for Martha in the same hotel as Simon, Rachel and her dad.

Since the Hotel D'Angleterre had a shuttle service between the it and the airport, Alexis and Katherine were downstairs in the lobby waiting for Simon and Martha. "How are you feeling?" Katherine asked Alexis since she was fidgeting. She stilled her hands. "I'm fine," she stated, not willing to admit to anything. "And your father?" Katherine knew those two _had_ to solve their problems. "It took us weeks to talk to each other because of Pi, I don't see it taking less time this time, if ever." She was still angry with him. "What do you think of Rachel?" Katherine changed the subject.

"She strikes me as being very serious, or maybe that's because Dad said she used to be a federal agent," Alexis said. "Personally, I think she's perfect for your dad. She isn't going to put up with any crap he might try to give her. I just worry that your dad won't change enough for her," Katherine remarked. "Dad has always been a little childish and I don't see that changing. But if he doesn't, he could very well lose her because she may decide that he isn't worth it. I may be angry at him, but I don't want to see him hurt either." Alexis sighed heavily. Her life was just so complicated lately.

"Well, tomorrow we'll take everyone over to the island so they can see it and we get to see what's happening." Katherine sounded excited and that finally had Alexis smiling again. "It's only been a couple of months so I don't expect much." Alexis tried not to get too excited but it was too late. "We'll see," Katherine replied just as Simon escorted Martha into the lobby being the gentlemen that he was. "It has been a pleasure Ms. Rodgers." Simon bowed his head a little. "I told you call me Martha," she responded, ready to do any number of things with him right now.

"Hi Grams." Alexis wrapped herself around her. "Darling!" Martha hugged her fiercely, happy to see her. Simon meanwhile headed for Katherine who remained distant to give Martha and Alexis some time alone. "Ma'am I wanted to bring your attention to the account I have access to. Some of the costs have been going up and I've been offsetting those costs with the credit card you have given me," he said. It was the truth, though his budget was still in good shape. He just didn't want to leave it and get bitten in the ass because of it. "I'll take care of it Simon. Before the end of the day actually," Katherine assured him though she would need Alexis's help.

"Thank you ma'am, I'll be here till Ms. ...till Martha wishes to return and then I will stay in New York till you need me again," he said. "Two days notice, I can live with that. Enjoy your stay in Copenhagen." Katherine smiled at her pilot. "You too Ms. Kaye." Simon bowed just a touch and headed for the elevators. "Tell me if there's something you need Simon and I'll take care of it," Katherine added as he walked away. "Thank you ma'am, I'll consider it."

Katherine turned to see Martha still clutching Alexis tight. It made her heart fall into her stomach. It was time to talk to Rachel once more. Perhaps they needed to push Rick again.

"Hi Martha," Katherine said softly, not wanting to take anything away from Alexis who likely needed Martha's attention. "Katherine dear." And Katherine found herself in a motherly hug that she hadn't had for what seemed like a long time. She hugged Martha back, soaking up the affection.

"We need to come up with a plan for Richard. Let me get into my room and we can start planning." Martha was looking forward to this. Her room was just what she was expecting and she unpacked while Alexis and Katherine waited for her. Martha was done in no time and back out into the living room. "Now how do we teach that son of mine a lesson?"

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rachel was sitting in their massive living room after leaving Rick asleep, dead to the world on their bed. She had shown Rick what she expected of him by taking him back down to the exercise room the last two days including today. It meant he was too tired for sex but to her, the plan was worth it.

She was actually trying to think of the next thing to do when her cell phone rang. Not wanting it to wake Rick, which she thought was unlikely, but didn't want to risk it, she answered after the first ring. "What's on your mind Katherine?" Rachel had see the ID on her phone. "Martha's here and the three of us are trying to come up with a plan, I thought you might like to join us if you have the time," Katherine offered. "Rick's presently dead to the world. I've been keeping him busy in the exercise room. Give me your room number and I'll be right there." Rachel was starting to warm up to Katherine though she had a lot of questions. She still had a contact she could talk to and he had yet to come back with anything so she was being careful in what she said.

"Rachel!" Martha had answered the door and Rachel found herself in a motherly hug which she found rather nice. "Come in dear, we could use your help. We aren't getting anywhere." Martha let her in and closed the door. "Your timing is perfect." Martha dug into the wine that she had brought with her from the airport and handed out glasses to everyone.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"That is one devious woman," Martha mentioned as she walked back to Alexis and Katherine after escorting Rachel to the door. "This is going to blow Dad's mind." Alexis started chuckling. The plan was to kick into motion the day after tomorrow which was reserved for some sightseeing including a trip to the island.

Katherine and Alexis were scheduled to pick up Martha, Rachel, and Rick the next day a little before lunch. After a quick trip and look around for an hour or so, they would return and turn into tourists for the rest of the day. Rachel had mentioned going home the same day Martha did so that Simon didn't have to keep flying back and forth.

Alexis and Katherine found them downstairs in the lobby waiting for them. "Ready to go see?" Alexis was actually smiling and Rick took that as a good sign even though she hadn't spoken directly to him. They took a taxi to get down to the boat. Katherine and Alexis would be using their scooters to reach it. This boat actually had space to place both scooters they hoped, since it looked big enough and the crane to transfer them was already in place.

"Vintage." Rachel had been expecting something else from these two. "This one's mine. It's a 1926, 36 foot, V bottom Robinson Seagull. I chose it because it came with an enclosure that can be snapped into place to cover the aft end. The crane was added so we could transfer our scooters and when it rains, I get to stay dry while piloting it since I'll be inside," Katherine informed them as Alexis began working on the ropes then let her dad take over untying the boat.

It turned out that all of the seating was inside with the pilot. "You'll have to bear with us, we haven't done this before," Alexis warned them as Katherine fired it up and worked at pulling away from the dock. Katherine took it really slow so that she could make the turns and kept asking Alexis, who had the map, if she was going the right way.

It would be really simple if only she knew where she was going. After what felt like forever, they were out into the bay and headed for the island which was where Katherine opened up the throttle some.

Katherine slowed way down to enter through the only opening. What they all saw was a barge, with its own crane, placing large stones into place. It was going to take a little time but they would add a level to the stone barrier all the way around just like Jackson had suggested.

Once inside, they saw lots of boats tied up along with a pair of barges that were being used as dumpsters for the debris from what used to be the restaurant and guest rooms with showers. "Looks like we're going to have to walk," Katherine said since the main dock was filled and the secondary dock, that was all concrete with a walkway running around the front barrier, was also almost filled up.

"The bridge to the island is this way." Alexis started walking with Katherine right behind her. "What are you thinking Rick? This is actually bigger than I expected," Rachel remarked. "She's moving from New York, something I never considered," he replied as they walked. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. Martha was far enough out in front of them not to hear them. "She's a grown woman now, she doesn't need you to make her choices for her anymore," Rachel advised. Actually that was his major problem. It had been just him and Alexis for so long with him making all the choices, he didn't know any other way.

There was lots of activity and lots of noise and there were people everywhere. The bridge looked sturdy as they walked over it. They were intercepted almost immediately since they had been spotted coming in and docking. "This area is closed and under construction. I'll have to ask you to return to your boat and leave," the man who met them said. "I'm Alexis Castle and this is Katherine Beckett," Alexis told him which immediately made his attitude change. "The owners, my apologies. I wasn't informed you would be coming today. Let me find someone to escort you around and tell you what is happening. If you'll follow me, we'll get you some hard hats. You'll be needing to wear them here." He began walking and finally entered a trailer about the size of a cargo container and almost looked like one. Though it did have an A/C unit sticking out one end.

He came back out with two handfuls of hard hats. "Just ignore the names on them." Then he started handing them out. "Let me get your guide, if you'll just wait here?" he asked them then took out his cell phone/walkie talkie combo. "Jackson, the owner and friends are here for a tour, meet them at the trailer," he said into his cell phone. "Copy that, on my way," answered a voice. "If you'll excuse me, we have a limited amount of time to get these barges filled with debris." It was where the barges were going that had him on a schedule so he needed to get them loaded and out of here on time.

"Ladies, good to see you again." Jackson stepped up and saw the backs of their friends. "Hi Jackson, we didn't know you would be here." Alexis was actually happy to see him. However when the other three turned around, Martha saw him, shrieked, and clapped a hand over her mouth while Jackson quickly lost his composure. He had to work at recovering it. There had to be a reason and the first one that came to mind wasn't one he liked. It had him thinking of pulling out his weapon and putting a round into this obvious impostor of his dead son.

However, first things first. "Hello Martha, it's been a long time." Everyone looked between the two with shocked faces. How did he know who Martha was?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am NOT buying Season 8 on my Amazon account! I should have expected this given these two show runners. I'm going to try and forget last nights very last episode. Seven long years, POOF!


	56. Chapter 56

**K and K 56**

"Hello Martha, it's been a long time." He really needed to rein in his emotions and handle this situation. "Grams?" Alexis was confused even more than the others.

"You were there one day and gone the next. I thought you were the most amazing man I had ever met. I was so sure I was in love with you." Martha was amazed to see him after all this time while pissed at him at the same time.

"Yeah, my job didn't allow me to become involved. If I had stayed you would have ended up with a bullseye on your back and I couldn't have that. You were and still are beautiful and I just couldn't resist you. I cursed myself for my weakness for years after that.

It didn't stop me from checking up on you when I could. I even saw you a few times, not that you saw me." Jackson tells her. "Just who is he Grams?" Alexis couldn't take this any longer.

"I only ever knew part of his name, Jackson, I never learned the rest." Martha was interrupted. "It's Hunt, technically." Jackson tells them. "He's your grandfather darling, a man I only ever spent time with just that one time." Martha informs them.

Alexis's eyes open wide. "Grandfather!?" She had a little trouble wrapping her mind around this. "That would mean, ..." Alexis trails off. "He's Richard's father." Martha finishes for her.

" **MY WHAT!?"** Rick yells out and just as instantly found Jackson had moved so quick that he never saw it, and even Rachel hadn't anticipated it so could do nothing about it. Rick was suddenly felt pain and he was being chocked as Jackson had an arm around his neck.

Yelling erupted almost instantly and Rachel found herself reaching for her service weapon out of habit only to come up empty handed. "I don't know who this person is but I'm going to take him off your hands for you." Jackson announces and starts to walk away with Rick.

Jackson was skilled and anticipated the move Rachel gave him to get Rick back and instantly found herself down on the ground doing her best to get air in her lungs that wasn't there anymore.

"LEAVE MY FATHER ALONE!" Alexis yells at him not sure what else to do. "Your father is dead and this imposter is going to join him." Jackson counters.

Martha didn't know what to do about this. She hadn't seen him in years and yet here he was. He may be older but under those wrinkles and gray hair, it was him. He was even still handsome. "Dad's alive and he has the DNA evidence to prove it." "As much as I would like to believe that Alexis, it just isn't possible. I was there, I was the one that ID'd his dead and mangled body. I even saw the DNA match that proved it." Jackson counters and keeps backing up with Rick still chocking and unable to do anything, plus it felt like his arm was going to break off soon.

"PLEASE, let him go. He's my father, he's already died once, I can't watch him die again." Alexis pleaded with him. Rachel was still on her hands and knees coughing but was recovering fast. She had underestimated who this Jackson was, but she wouldn't do that again, weapon or no. He wasn't taking Rick. After she had him back there would be questions and she was going to get answers.

What no one saw was Katherine backing up a couple of steps and casting a spell. She had argued with herself just which spell was best till she finally decided on one and would cast the other one if the need called for it.

 **Entangle** \- The island wasn't actually all grass. It had some low growing brush, plants that didn't need deep roots. That was why they would need to ship in tons of top soil for the terraces to plant her plants in.

These plants rose up and started entangling Jackson and Rick till Katherine commanded that they release him. It caught Jackson by complete surprise as he was forced to release Rick and struggle against the plants. PLANTS!

Rick was down on his knees hacking and trying to breathe as both Alexis and Rachel lifted him up and pulled him away from Jackson. Jackson was still struggling and the plants had reached his neck and had started chocking and despite his best and skilled efforts he couldn't prevent it.

Rick was up and still coughing as they all watched Jackson being choked to death by plants. Rachel was even looking around for a big knife like a Machete to hack at the plant vines to free him since she wanted answers, not to mention arrest him and let him rot in prison for a little while.

Just as Jackson had slowed down struggling against the plants that they suddenly pulled away and released him. It left him on the ground coughing up a storm. It had Rachel on him in a second and found the weapon he actually had on him and taken it away from him in no time.

Satisfied she checked the weapon, slapped the clip back inside and pulled the slide back and removed the safety and pointed his own weapon at him. To Rachel it felt like old times as she watched him slowly recover.

When Jackson made a move to get up. "DON"T!" Rachel's voice left no doubt as to what she would do if he didn't do what he was told. Still he slowly moved so that he was sitting on the ground and crossed his legs. "Now who are you, exactly?" Rachel questions him.

"Jackson Hunt." Jackson tells them. "Sounds made up." Rachel states. Jackson smiled and then coughed. "It is." He responds back. "Great now who are you or would you prefer to lose your knee cap or possible the entire knee?" Rachel questions him.

"Cell phone?" Jackson questions. "Give you a cell phone? Yeah not happening, try again." Rachel tells him as Rick was finally standing and moves next to Rachel just as Katherine steps in behind Alexis who notices her and smiles since she knew where the plants had come from.

"It's not for me, its for you. I have a number for you to call. You'll get your answers." Jackson informs her. Rachel takes one hand off the weapon and hits Rick in the chest with the back of her hand. "OWE!" Rick takes exception to the treatment he's been receiving since coming here.

"Phone!" Rachel tells him and waits for Rick to pull out his phone and hand it to her. Jackson gives her a number and Rachel holds the phone to her ear. "Jackson Hunt." Rachel tells the person and listens.

They all watch as the look on her face keeps changing and she never says a word until the call is ended for her. She hands the phone back to Rick. "So you have connections." Rachel un-cocks the weapon and places the safety back on and watches as Jackson slowly stands with a little grunt. He wasn't as young as he used to be and that alone pissed him off.

"My weapon?" He holds out his hand. "You may be what I'm guessing CIA but there is no way I'm giving this back to you." Rachel places in her pants behind her back and dares Jackson to take it from her. However he only smiles since he could just get another one quickly, really quickly.

"CIA?" Rick had heard that."You're really CIA?" Rick was beside himself. He had a CIA operative standing right in front of him. This was so cool. Okay, not the choking part or being told he's going to be killed. But still cool.

Jackson simply shrugged his shoulders. "It's a living." Is his only comment.

"You're my grandfather?" Alexis got back onto the topic she cared about. "I don't have a father." Rick states and then hears his own words and how stupid that sounded. "Mother!?" Rick turned on her.

"I already told you this story Richard, ... " Martha however is interrupted. "Richard is dead Martha, our son is dead." Jackson states with certainty. It was now that the others can see the hurt in his face.

"Dad didn't die in Paris, he was just wrongly identified. He also has amnesia that has affected his memory." Alexis states even though Rick and Martha know different. Rick was actually impressed at the story his daughter weaved. "Dad passed his DNA test."

Jackson however started shaking his head. "I saw the DNA results myself. I even know the man who did them." Jackson, as much as it pained him, knew his son was dead. "Well your tests were wrong." Alexis states and waves her hand at her father.

Jackson however simply shakes his head. "We don't make mistakes." Jackson states flatly.

"Really? ... Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? Bay of Pigs? Collapse of the Soviet Union? Indian Nuclear Test? Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait? 9/11?" Alexis glared at him and ticked off a number of screw ups that could be traced directly back to the CIA. However Jackson remains silent and is silently impressed with his granddaughter. His being here to watch over her was definitely the right move. Now he just had to prove this jerk was a phony and find out what he hoped to gain. He already knew Alexis and Martha had all his money.

His own request for information on Katherine hadn't come back yet. "I don't have any cuffs and can't hold him. Even if i was still with the AG I couldn't hold him." Rachel tells them. "It may have got you fired but you did the right thing." Jackson tells her.

"It was your CIA buddy that got me fired!" Rachel screams at him. Him and his CIA was why she was out of law enforcement. Hell she couldn't even get a job as a Deputy in some tiny town in Texas because of the CIA. Sure it was the action she took but she wouldn't have had to make that decision if it wasn't for the CIA.

"Not everyone in the CIA are all the same. We have our own that aren't liked or followed." Jackson informs them. "HA! Like we know which side your on since you want to kill Rick." Rachel still didn't trust him and had no reason to.

"Technically I wasn't going to just kill him. First I was going to find out who he really is and then kill him." Jackson still intended to do just that. "I can't hold you however I suggest that you leave and not come back and leave Rick alone." Rachel was letting him leave.

Jackson recognized he was in a bad position. He had been overpowered somehow and in a manner he had never encountered. An Ex-AG agent had his weapon and the imposter was out of his hands, and it had seemed so simple.

He withdrew by backing up till he felt safe enough to turn and simply walk away. He simply had to make a few calls and formulate a plan. "That was my father?" Rick questions and turns to face his mother. "I haven't seen or heard from him since that one day." Martha defends herself.

"And why does he think you're an imposter and just when did you die?" Rachel had yet to hear of this. "Dad didn't die. Yes he was in Paris when an ISIS suicide bomber blew up the theater dad was in, but he didn't die." Alexis waves her hand at her dad to express that he obviously didn't die. "He has passed his DNA test and had his death certificate removed for public record. Just that the IRS has no intention of giving the money back even if he's not dead."

"Dead huh?" Rachel looks at Rick. "I'm not dead!" Rick had had enough of being dead already, he didn't need his girlfriend to tease him about it. Martha clears her throat. "And thanks for saving me. I'll make it up to you somehow." Rick offers smiling at Rachel with his idea of thanking her being some mind blowing sex tonight.

Funny thing was, Rachel was thinking the same thing. "I'm not sure I saved you but that's not going to let you off the hook. ... And where did all those plants come from anyway?" Rachel looked at all of them. Rick looked like Rick, Martha she decided was too good to read. Alexis and Katherine however looked guilty. Question was, just how had either or both of them accomplish that? Now she wanted that information of Katherine badly just that little bit more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxx

Their trip to the island was now a bust and they decided to just leave and maybe come back another day after calling their architect to arrange for another visit like they probably should have done in the first place. Since they didn't have any other plans until this evening it had Katherine guiding her boat back to her assigned space. Alexis jumped off to tie down the bow and found her dad doing the stern.

Alexis wanted to be mad at him still, she really did. However having someone turn up who turned out to be her grandfather who wanted to kill her dad. This trip was completely nuts. "We'll catch up to you tonight as planned." Rachel offers to Alexis and Katherine since this day hadn't gone as planned.

Martha went back to the hotel with them to take a nap so she could be awake for this tonight since she wasn't going to miss this for anything. "Now what?" Katherine questions and has Alexis take her back onboard and back inside.

"Thank you!" Alexis knew who had made the plants move as much as Rick and Martha had. And Alexis kissed her for all she was worth. The love of her life had saved her dad twice now and she was going to show her appreciation for what she had done.

Alexis had chosen to clean the apartment while simply giving Katherine a glass of wine and told her to just sit there, watch TV, read her book or just do nothing. She was too wound up to join her. "No one said a word about those plants except Rachel's weak comment." Alexis comments while cleaning.

"They will once they think about it." Katherine comments feeling uncomfortable doing nothing while Alexis works which had her tidying up her area. "Think Rachel noticed you? She used to be a Federal Agent." Alexis asks her. "Which means what exactly?" Katherine still had a lot to learn about this world.

That got Alexis to stop and sit down next to her. "If I understand it correctly, the AG office is a lot like the FBI. They search for who did something wrong and try and put them in prison." Alexis tries to make it simple for her. "Good thing I'm a Druid then." Katherine mentions and takes a sip of her wine.

However she sees the shock or look of fear on Alexis's face. "But Kate who is you wasn't." That had Katherine chocking on her drink. "She was a thief/assassin who was good at it if $450 million, three homes, two cars, a boat and her own plane with pilot is anything to go by." Katherine was now concerned.

"We could be in trouble." Alexis was worried too. "But she said she had been fired from her job and is now doing something else." Maybe they were safe. "True, but she was a Federal Agent and you don't just stop being one just because you no longer are. ... Could you just stop being a Druid and be something else?" Alexis questions.

"My Gran told me that some people have tried and succeeded in adding another skill. Magic-user half Fighter, Cleric half fighter while others focused on one specific thing. Gran mentioned there was a Druid on the Council that was really good with animals, Leopards in particular. She had something like four or five of them while I can ever only have one animal." Katherine explains.

"You miss Dapper." Alexis could see it when she talked about animals. "Yeah, I was alone right after my parents and village were all killed. Dapper was there for me when I was all alone. He helped me get from my place to my friends home. He was great." Katherine felt hollow without him.

"Can't you get another one? Or can you only ever have the one?" Alexis still didn't understand everything about a Druid. "I released him so I can call for another animal, just not sure now is a good time." Katherine comments. "And our lease said no pets." Alexis remembers that part.

"We might only be here for 3 months." Katherine adds. "If we stay and take our classes here we can move to place where they do accept pets. And when we move to the island I want you to get at least one if not two or more. ... I know you said you could only have one. One is special and the others are just pets. OR you could specialize like that one person and have five or six." Alexis grins thinking that was a great idea.

" _Five or six, did she really mean it? Her Gran had explained it a little and it wasn't that hard, she just had to focus.'_ "You're serious?" Katherine questions and only watched Alexis smile wider. "Change in the floor plan?" Katherine questions which had Alexis up searching for a pad and pen to see what they could do and where and then call the Architect.

"What kind of animals can you have?" Alexis questions which had Katherine thinking. On her world the options were bigger, here they were fewer. "Dog, wolf, eagle, hawk, ape, lion, wolverine, bat, maybe a Ghost Tiger." Katherine tried to think it through.

"Ghost Tiger?" Alexis had never heard of such a thing. "Think big tiger only it is mostly grey and black, big claws big teeth, about 3 feet tall at the shoulder, 9 feet long maybe, 500 to 700 pounds." Katherine tries to describe it. "Not something we could take into the city with us." Alexis didn't think that one would work out so well. "Sounds good in your world, not so much in this one." Alexis adds.

Katherine shook her head since she was forced to agree. "I could get a Giant Eagle maybe. ... After we move." All of them had a pro and a con. "Maybe just a dog?" Alexis offers. "So that's a no to the Ghost Tiger, Wooly Mammoth or Tyrannosaurus?" Katherine teased.

Alexis's mouth fell open. "A T-Rex? Seriously? You have dinosaur's in your world?" Alexis was shocked and watched Katherine nod her head. "Not everywhere of course, but Gran said they existed in certain areas." Katherine confirmed. "Definitely no T-Rex." Alexis states seriously. It had Katherine laughing, hugged her and kissed her head.

"Puppy shopping in a couple of months then?" Katherine offers since it was safer and more acceptable in this world. "Golden Retriever, Collie or a Labrador maybe." Alexis wanted a big dog. "One of each perhaps?" Katherine offered not knowing what any of those three looked like.

It had Alexis smiling wide and almost shrieked and kissed her soundly. Alexis had wanted a dog but they lived in a loft in the middle of Manhattan, so she never asked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kevin went first followed by Javi, Kate, Rick, Jenny, Lanie and Guri. The walls looked rough like someone had only taken the time to dig out a space but not really finish it. Even the floor had a rough look to it.

Everyone was invisible either using their rings or Rick's wand as the first two stepped out. The had to step down cautiously three steps going down that curved to the left a little. They instantly found 2 guys sitting at one of two tables playing cards. They looked like a race they had never seen before.

Their skin seemed to have scales, both of them had a tail that was twitching on the floor. What really had their attention were the horns that came our of the side of their head where their ears should have been and arched down towards their chin.

They were both armed but didn't have any armor on unless you counted their scales as armor. There were two good sized chests past them up against the wall with two openings one on either side of the chests. They each had steps that went up. From here they could easily smell that an ocean was close and the humidity was heavy.

First problem was that they didn't see a good way to get past them to see what was beyond them. These might be the only two or they might not. Besides them only Rick had made it out of the room with the mirror. The rest were still on the stairs, in the room or in Guri's case still on the other side of the mirror because they just didn't have the space.

Rick knew these two had to die and he pulled out a wand and waited for Kevin and Javi to do something. Depending on where they showed up he would use his wand or simply get out of the way for Kate to get in on this.

The two appeared to be into their card game as they were slapping cards down on the table and talking to each other in a language none of them understood. Because of this Rick carefully stepped to the left keeping his back up against the wall. It was just to the left that he ran across what looked like a tiny kitchen. He placed his butt up against the cabinet and waited.

Kate stepped out and took a stance ready to pounce when either Kevin or Javi did something which was almost immediately. Javi was behind the one to her right and popped into place as he took four swings and ripped open the guys back, causing him to cry out in pain.

Kevin popped into place after he jabbed his dagger into the neck on the side of the other guy, getting him to try and cry out only to gurgle up blood instead. Still neither of them died right off. The first one rose and pulled his weapon only to have Javi take advantage of this and hit him two more times on three swings. Kevin ripped his dagger out of his neck ripping his neck open causing him to hold the wound that was spraying blood everywhere.

Javi's guy took a wild swing that missed and died after Javi hit him three more times. Kate simply watched it all and moved to an opening she saw to the right that was rough and at best maybe 8 feet wide that looked like it arched to the right.

Sure enough Rick saw 4 more of them, two per opening start to charge out of each with weapons in hand. That got him to use his **Wand of Web** and created sticky looking spider webs that blocked the opening as the first two ran head long into the webs and started struggling.

By now Jenny and Lanie had exited the room followed quickly by Guri who had her longsword out and ready. She saw Kate guarding one entrance, the two that were dead, the two that were battling with webs and the two behind them, so she went left past the visible Rick and stood guard at the entrance on the left that actually immediately spilt into two directions.

The one curved up to her right while the other went about 2 feet and maybe 8 feet wide at best and opened into a larger room that had steps leading down to a beach where two more had just finished beaching a row boat that had supplies in it.


	57. Chapter 57

**K and K 57**

What Guri wanted to do was charge these two and take them by surprise, however she was also guarding their flank. Plus there was another opening to her right that provided access to somewhere and she had to guard it also. Hopefully those six could handle four, so she waited and watched. Besides they had already taken out two of them.

Rick switched to his **Wand of Magic Missile** and watched what the four males would do just as the two in the webs broke free and, without bothering with their weapons, charged Kevin and Javi. Unfortunately this also allowed the other two to get through the webs with no problem. Still it had bought the group some time.

Jenny used her **G** **em** and fired five charges , blinding the first two. But she missed the second pair. Amazingly, it didn't really slow down the first two all that much, or at least not as much as they'd hoped. Kevin whipped one of the ones not blinded while Javi was prepared and actually slashed his all four times, opening up his chest badly. Lanie crushed an **Elemental Gem** and got a **Fire Elemental** that immediately attacked one of the blind males doing a little damage. It was a bad omen as to how useful their precious **Elemental Gems** were going to be this time. These beings were just tougher than anything or anyone else they had fought. It left them wishing for Derro instead of half elf-half dragons. The **Fire Elemental** died quickly, much too quickly. Lanie was using her **W** **and** on Javi and Kate a little, yet they had won. They simply had to work for it harder and deal with getting hurt.

Rick made everyone invisible that needed him to. Guri's motioning had gotten the attention of Javi and Kevin. Javi and Kate went first as Guri pointed to two more males that had just finished unloading some crates out of their rowboat. Then she pointed to the other corridor and motioned for Kate to come with her down onto the beach.

That left Javi with Lanie followed by Jenny going right while Rick stayed where he was and stood there holding his **W** **and** , waiting for who needed him first.

Kate went left after immediately entering the space while Guri went right, then slowly drew her **S** **word** , and waited. One by one these two came walking their way, each carrying a crate. They actually couldn't decide who was going to go first and started arguing which ended fast when Kate used her **S** **taff**. She hit the male on her side in the knee which made him fall on his back as his crate came crashing down on his chest.

Guri took a swing and was rewarded with cutting his left arm off. He screamed then his crate landed on his foot, leaving him bouncing while he held the stub of his arm. Guri quickly ended his pain by running him through while Kate shoved her **S** **taff** deep into the mouth of her guy. They both walked down to the beach where they saw a main bridge going across an open bay to the far side. They also saw the tip of a huge arrow after Guri pointed it out. Then she pointed out a string of logs that blocked the entrance further out.

"Rowboat, walkway, a barrier to keep ships out. Sounds like a base using a ship or two, but for what purpose and where did the row boat come from?" Kate wondered. Guri was thinking a quick swim might answer some of those questions but they couldn't leave the others so they turned back to look for them.

Javi and Kevin meanwhile turned right and found the corridor split yet again, left and right. Kevin motioned that he would take Jenny and go right while Javi should take Lanie and go left. Javi nodded, agreeing.

Kevin and Jenny came across a single male sitting at one of two tables with two more corridors going off to their left. Kevin was forced to risk it and tell her to stay here and get ready, and watched her nod. Kevin tried to stay between him and Jenny then whipped the male directly in the face causing him to yell out. He looked Kevin's way just as a ray hit him in the eyes leaving him blind, allowing Kevin to stay out of his way as he whipped him to death.

Javi and Lanie found a male jumping up just after someone, who didn't sound like Kevin or Jenny, yelled behind them. He ran directly into Javi who hadn't yet cleared the small corridor. He was surprised as Javi suddenly came into view and hit the male twice out of three swings. The male decided not to pull his sword and simply used the claws on his hands to swing and try and do damage. One missed badly while the other scraped across Javi's armor. With only one hit to Javi that Lanie had fixed almost immediately, the male was dead.

It allowed them into his space where they found a 40 foot by 20 foot space with rough walls that had a table with 2 chairs. It also had three openings in the far wall. A quick look to the right showed stairs going up to their right and then quickly curving left. The middle one had a slight curve to the right before ending on a beach, it looked like. While the one to the left went straight for several feet and then turned right towards the beach. This direction had stairs going up. There were too many directions for the two of them so they turned back to rejoin Kevin and Jenny. "We have three ways to go," Javi told them. "And we have two," Kevin pointed out. However they were soon joined by Guri, Kate, and Rick.

"We can take your two directions if the rest of you can take the others," Kate offered, meaning her and Guri. Getting an agreement from the others, Guri pulled out her **W** **and** and told them that hers would allow them to stay invisible during their fight, it just would not last very long. It told them they needed to hurry but they accepted Guri's magic instead of Rick's, allowing him to save charges on his **W** **and** , not that that many people needed his **W** **and** anymore.

Guri changed out rings while Kate activated hers. "I can still see you," Guri told her, informing her of her ability. "Then you go first," Kate said, gesturing to the corridor to the right. They had gone in about 15 to 20 feet when it curved to their right and they saw a corridor with three doors on each side. Each had a sliding door that allowed them to open and look inside. In the first two, which were empty, they saw nothing but bare floors, walls, and ceiling. "I think they're cells for the elven hybrids to hold people," Kate said. The final four cells were just as empty.

They went back out and down the other corridor which went straight for about 30 feet, all in darkness, and then turned right with a long corridor that had five doors, just like the others, on each side. The first one revealed someone lying on the stone floor, naked. He had really long hair, even longer than Guri's was. He kind of had soft scales and was mostly blue and green. "I know this race, he is an Aquatic Elf. An Elf much like me only they live in the deep oceans," Guri told Kate. "I thought you were a Cloud Giant," Kate said, not understanding how Guri kept changing her form. "I am, just not right now. Right now, I am what you would call a Royal Elf. There are Snow Elves, Aquatic Elves, Grey Elves, and Wood Elves also," she explained but didn't say how she came to be an Elf.

Kate tried to open the cell door. "It's locked. The keys must be around her somewhere," she said. Guri couldn't unlock the doors either so they checked each door and found an Aquatic Elf in each room. Three of them were female and were just as naked. "They're safe for now. We can come back for them after we are finished," Guri assured Kate and got her to agree. They couldn't fight _and_ protect ten unarmed, unarmored strangers.

The other four took the left corridor and went back into the large room with three other corridors. "I'll wait here," Rick said as Javi with Kevin, went left while Lanie with Jenny behind her, went right. Both teams found the stairs went up the entire distance and saw another of those half aquatic elf-half black dragons standing at an opening at the end. They were both looking out with their backs turned to them.

Kevin saw that Javi was ready and whipped the male just once, ripping open his back a little, followed by Javi hitting him four times slashing it open even further. He cried out in pain then turned on Javi to attack and got in two swings, one of which did damage to Javi. Another whip hit and Javi's three hits and the male was dead on the ground.

Lanie, with Jenny behind her, could see their male lean way out and look to the left as they heard someone call out in pain. He turned to run down the stairs. Unfortunately he ran straight into Lanie as she raised her mace, hitting him in the chest. That was followed by Jenny using her **G** **em** to fire a ray in an attempt to blind him, however it didn't work. He swung twice and hit Lanie once when suddenly he began turning to stone from the feet up. Lanie stood there as the fear of what was happening showed on his face, his body continuing to turn to stone until he was completely stone. Lanie turned to look at Jenny. "At least it works," Jenny remarked, using just a few seconds of her time to turn him to stone. They couldn't get past him easily since the space was so narrow. Lanie wanted to see so she pulled him till he slid off one step and tumbled forward, breaking into hundreds of pieces, killing him forever.

Once they were all the way to the top, they looked out. Directly in front of them was a good sized beach. To their left they could see Javi looking out. Past him was a set of stairs leading up to a ledge that had a walking bridge which lead out to a large rock outcropping. It had yet another walking bridge leading to still another rock outcropping. This rock, however, had an other half elf-half black dragon on it manning a ballista _-_ a massive crossbow, looking out into the open ocean. There were a couple of smaller rocks to his right not far away, just not nearly as tall. "Getting to him isn't going to be easy," Lanie whispered. Even invisible, those wood bridges were going to creak and groan under their weight. He would notice long before they got to him.

They all met up again in the larger room and told each other what they had found. "I'll take him," Kate offered then walked up the stairs Lanie and Jenny had used to look out at the male. Right behind her was Rick. "You're sure about this?" he asked since she would be out there all alone, though he did have his **Wand of Magic Missile** in his hand to help her. "Piece of cake babe, though I wouldn't mind a little help." Kate smiled, kissed him quickly, then flipped her cape around her and disappeared, only to end up right behind him, still invisible.

She decided not to use the **S** **taff** this time and prayed that her Ki ability would work for her. She tapped the half elf-half black dragon's shoulder which caused him to turn around. He saw nothing then shrieked as Kate kicked him in his family jewels. It took all the air out of him and he clutched himself and moaned in pain. Kate suddenly appeared and kicked him in the stomach followed by striking him in the nose with her open palm. Kate watched as a _Magic Missile_ struck him and it had him on the ground. Once he was down, Kate pulled out her dagger and shoved the business end directly into his now exposed neck. She ripped it out and watched him bleed out, bubbling blood out of his mouth.

Kate quickly reactivated her **Ring of Invisibility** and looked around. This one, just like the others, wasn't carrying anything save for a sword. Kevin hadn't said anything about seeing magic yet, still she picked it up. Then she saw a massive three masted ship docked at a rock outcropping farther inside a large bay on the other side of the wooden walkway. She also saw people on the ship though it didn't look like they were getting it ready to sail.

Since her cape only worked once per day she had to walk back. "There's a sailing ship deeper into the bay. It's a three master and there are people on-board. It's maybe 110 to 130 feet long. What I don't see is how they are going to get it past the wooden walkway," Kate said. "Likely they just drop it into the water and it floats over it just like they pull the wood logs out of the way," Rick replied which made sense to her. "This place is big. It looked like there's lots of space still on this side, let alone whatever's on the other side. We're going to get noticed if we used that bridge, invisible or no," she cautioned.

"Then we swim. We may want to swim when we are ready to board the ship," Guri suggested as the others nodded. All that was, except for Jenny who didn't know how to swim and didn't really like it here. Even that wooden walkway they talked about that could be lowered down into the water had her worried. "We go right from the mirror," Kate said and with everyone invisible again, they headed back the way they came so they could go right this time.

Each of them wondered if this was where they were going to run across the monstrous, water-breathing, black dragon. Every one moaned internally, unwilling to let the others know what they were thinking or dreading.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"You don't look happy," Mike observed as Jackson boarded the boat. He watched as he ignored him and headed straight for the spare piece they had on-board. "You lost your weapon!?" he said in surprise only to get scowled at. "Let's get out of here," Jackson told him and put his new weapon where his other one had been. "You going to tell me what happened?" he asked. "My _son_ is alive," Jackson said flatly, getting a blank look from Mike. "We both know that's not possible," he said. "Tell me something I don't know. But he was standing right there. Plain as day," Jackson huffed. "Obviously he's a fake; the question is what does he intend on getting out of this?" Jackson added.

"Two reasons come to mind and one of them is just plain stupid," Mike remarked, stunned at Jackson's revelation. "The stupid one is he's after the few millions that his daughter and mother have," Mike said and Jackson didn't disagree. "The other is he's after you," Mike continued darkly. Jackson had already come to that conclusion on the way to the boat.

"We going to pick him up?" Mike thought that would be first except Jackson shook his head. "He's somehow gotten Rachel McCord on his side and while she isn't a problem, she really doesn't deserve to die because of this fake. She's been screwed enough already," Jackson replied. "No, we're going to pick up the woman who was with my granddaughter. We may have to pick Alexis up also since they looked to be inseparable," Jackson said. "So who has your weapon? Her?" Mike asked, still astonished that someone had managed to disarm Jackson. "Rachel has it." Jackson was embarrassed and that didn't happen often.

"Come again? I could swear I just heard you say the ex-AG agent took your piece!" Mike didn't believe it. It would take three Rachels to take Jackson's weapon from him. "I don't want to talk about it. Just get us home so we can plan. Those two know something and I want to know what it is." Jackson watched where they were going as he started to plan. First he needed to go shopping.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick had only just made it inside their hotel room when Rachel came down on him like a ton of bricks. "Start talking Rick, you never said _anything_ about being dead." Rachel didn't read his genre of books so she didn't follow what happened to him concerning his death, plus she was in DC at the time and he had mostly been in the news in New York. "I'm not dead," he groaned as he shuffled over to the sofa, then collapsed on it, putting his feet on the coffee table. "But you _were_ dead?" Rachel kept digging.

"I was in Paris with my publisher to promote my latest book. It was a nice room, not this nice." Rick swept his arms talking about this room. "But I liked it. Actually I thought it was home and not a hotel room. Anyway, I was finished for the day and left Gina, my publisher, to clean up and headed for a theater that was going to show something that I wanted to see. The next thing I can remember is that I was in New York in what used to be my loft, which is now my daughter's home because I was legally declared dead. Except I'm not dead," Rick stated firmly for what he hoped was for the last time.

"So how did you get to New York?" Rachel didn't see how that was possible, he had to be leaving something out. "I have no idea. I've got selective amnesia. I thought Paris was my home and didn't remember the loft in New York at all. I didn't even remember being married to Gina. Can you imagine that? I was married to Gina! There was no way I was married to Gina. Why would I marry her? That didn't make any sense. She was my publisher, for God's sake!" He shrugged his shoulders. He had absolutely no interest in Gina.

Rachel had a few answers so she sat down next to him. "Where did the vines come from? They were all that saved you or your father would have you right now." Rachel was embarrassed about that. She had obviously gotten soft since being fired. _"FIRED!"_ That so grated on her still. "I don't know." Rick deflated since he was tired and every muscle he had was still hurting. Except he saw the look on her face. "I swear! I-do-not-know!" And he didn't...exactly, though he had a guess. He hadn't seen Katherine do anything like that, but he suspected her. Giving up for the moment, Rachel said, "You should probably rest since we're going out tonight. I'll be down in the exercise room and you don't have to come with me this time." She kissed his cheek and went into the bedroom to change. He counted his blessings and kept his mouth closed otherwise she might drag what was left of him down to join her.

Rachel was doing stretches to limber up when her cell phone rang. She smiled at the ID display. "Tyler, what have you got for me?" She wanted to know everything about Katherine. "I've sent everything I found to your account, I'll let you read it," he said. "And?" She wanted at least something. "Katherine Houghton Beckett. Both parents deceased, murdered when she was 19. She hasn't held a job since she was 23. She does, however, have a townhouse in Kansas City that she purchased for just over $1 million and has a Spyder Porsche that has even me drooling. It's a gated community. The guard is ex-military and trained. Getting in through him without a warrant isn't possible. He also didn't talk."

That left Rachel silent. Million dollar home and a million dollar car and she didn't have a job? Yet she also had a plane or access to a plane. "What about the jet I flew here in?" Rachel had taken a picture of the tail number while no one was watching. "It's a 2016 Bombardier 8000. You don't want to know how much a new one costs. Let alone maintenance, insurance, parking fees, fuel costs. That thing's expensive! I traced it to a dummy company where I lost it. I don't know who owns it and facial recognition on the pilot came up as ex-military. He has more stars and purple hearts than I have coins in my pocket. Shot down three times, injured each time. He went right back to his unit and up into the air. He flew fighter/bombers. He's well respected and straight as an arrow. I couldn't even find an overdue parking ticket. You've definitely got yourself a mystery Rachel," Tyler told her which had her thinking.

"How's your boyfriend?" Tyler teased. She didn't even date when she was with the AG's office. "Rick's fine, thank you for asking. ...What did you find?" Rachel deadpans, she just knew he had looked at him too. He was a good friend who only had her best interests in mind. He huffed a laugh. "Richard Edgar Castle, born Richard Alexander Rodgers. He changed his name just before his first book was published. He's published 16 books to date including his Derrick Storm series. Married twice, divorced twice. One child, Alexis Harper Castle. Grade point average of 4.0 and graduated from Marlowe Prep one semester early. Went into Columbia University and took a heavy case load and if she keeps it up she'll graduate at least one year early. She recently changed her major to Veterinary Medicine. She's one brilliant young woman."

"Martha Rodgers, actress, took any and every job she could find while raising her only son. The father was left blank on his birth certificate. Never made it big, however, she's still active and has opened a small acting school. She only takes students that can't afford a major college," Tyler said. "So Martha's a goody two-shoes with a big heart. What about Richard being dead?" Rachel asked him. "Reported as dead in an ISIS attack in Paris last November. Not long ago he reappeared, apparently having risen from the dead. Passed his DNA test proving who he was and had his death certificate rescinded recently. You're dating a zombie." Tyler started snickering since he just had to get her with one.

"Funny Tyler, very funny. I've got one more person for you to look up. His name's Jackson Hunt, obviously a fake. He gave me a number which was enough for me to let him go." Rachel gave him the number. "He stinks of CIA to me," she said. "Everyone stinks of CIA to you, Rach," Tyler argued. "Yeah, but this one wanted to kill his own son. Said he was there to ID his dead body and knew who had done the DNA testing which identified the body as his son," she told him. "Got it, give me a few days. How _is_ Richard Castle?" Tyler wanted answers. "A little out of shape but I'm working on that. A little childish and insecure. Not a lost cause just yet. If I can get him to grow up at least a little, I just might keep him for a while," she replied. _'And fuck his brains out,'_ she thought. "Rachel McCord's in love - in love with a zombie!" Tyler started laughing so she hung up on him.

"In love...HA!" Rachel huffed out a laugh, but even to her it didn't sound sincere. She couldn't be, it just wasn't possible. Rachel McCord was a respected agent...except that she wasn't anymore. Suddenly she was worried. She had left Rick up in their room all alone and she didn't have Jackson's weapon on her. She jogged out of the exercise room, over to the elevator, down the hallway to their room, then inside quickly and quietly, only to find Rick on the sofa sound asleep "Not in love, definitely not," she insisted to herself.

However she picked up Jackson's weapon, checked it, then sat down on the sofa across from him, watching him sleep. _'He_ _'_ _s so cute like this,'_ she thought as she watched and listened to him let out an occasional puff of air. "DAMN IT!" Rachel bent over and put her head in her hands.


	58. Chapter 58

**K and K 58**

Rachel had showered and was only dressed in a robe that the hotel offered along with the slippers, even her hair wasn't dry yet. She gently shook Rick, trying to wake him. "Time to get up sleeping beauty." He tried to push her hand away, wanting to go back to sleep. Tried being the operative word here since all he got was air. She chuckled. "Up Rick, we have a date tonight. ...You promised," she reminded him. "I'll promise tomorrow." He tucked his arm back into him. "Then I guess I'll explain your absence to Alexis as you giving up on her and Katherine." Maybe that would get him up. "Yeah, good plan." He snuggled back into the sofa he was sleeping on. "ALEXIS!" His eyes shot open and he sat up with sudden speed. She thought that might get him moving.

"Into the shower big guy, or we're going to be late." She pulled him up and pushed him towards the bathroom and shower. "Strip first Rick," she told him because it looked like he was ready to step in just as he was. He stopped and looked around. "Shower...right." And he started removing his clothes. "You coming with me?" he asked hopefully. "Sorry, already showered. Now get clean or you're sleeping on the sofa again," she replied with a smile.

Rachel had thought she had given him enough time since she had applied her makeup, managed to do something with her unruly hair, was dressed for a trip to a bar and maybe some dancing, and even had her heels on. Yet here she was, waiting on a guy. "Do you need me to dress you?" she called. "Har, har, very funny. Just give me a minute," he responded and was actually out a minute later. Both of them stared at each other.

' _God, but she's sexy and gorgeous!'_

' _Damn, but he's handsome!'_

"You coming?" Rachel broke the silence since Alexis had already texted her that they were downstairs. They headed for the door.

Once downstairs, it took almost no time at all to find them. "You two look amazing." Rachel was impressed. She was sure they had planned the color coordination between them. "Pumpkin." Rick was happy to see her and started limping his way over to her to get the hug he so desperately wanted, yet she didn't make a move, which had him coming up short. He was hurt that she was still angry with him. "We need to wait for..." Alexis was interrupted when Martha came out of the elevator. "Darlings!" Martha wasted no time giving everyone, including her son, a quick kiss. "This is going to be so much fun. Maybe there will be someone single there." Martha was smiling and moved her butt to show her type of interest. Rachel was impressed since she knew as well as Martha did just where they were going. _'Definitely an actress_ _,_ _'_ Rachel thought. "Shall we go? So much to do and so much to see, you know!" Martha was still in fine form. Rick, for his part, was moaning while Alexis softly giggled.

They found a larger taxi to take them, all they had was an address. The building turned out to have a really dark gray, almost black, front with bright yellow apartments above it, creating a real contrast. "Vela." Rick read the name and opened the door for everyone. "Thank you dear." Martha patted his face knowing his life was about to even had full size posters of Japanese women. "Geisha girls?" he questioned before stepping inside. The sign above the door said, "Beware of Limbo Dancers," he noticed as he stepped inside. It looked like a bar to him, except this bar literally had women everywhere. He started to really like this place. That was until he saw Rachel's face as she watched him. He simply smiled and focused his attention on her.

They followed Alexis and Katherine to the bar and were about to order drinks. "What's that _THING_ doing in here?" a loud voice called out getting Rick to turn his head. But he didn't see who had said it or whom she was talking about. He turned back to Rachel just as a woman wrapped her arms around her. "Rachel!" She sounded happy to see her and she was young, Alexis's kind of young. Then she did something he didn't expect, she kissed Rachel, big time. He watched as Rachel wrapped her arms around her and kissed her back. Alexis was doing all she could to keep a straight face and not start laughing. She was saved when Katherine spun her around and kissed her soundly, slipping her tongue into her mouth to search it. Alexis forget where they were and kissed her back, using her hands to search Katherine's body. Katherine broke from the kiss when the woman kissing Rachel began speaking again. "It's been a long time Rachel, it's really good to see you. How long are you staying, and what is this _Thing_ doing in here?" She turned her stare on Rick making him feel like she was looking at a giant pile of manure.

"Georgia, meet Rick, Rick this is Georgia. My ex-lover," Rachel informed him. _'HER WHAT!?'_

"Are you telling me you gave up yummy, tasty lips for a limp hot dog?" She couldn't keep the loathing for Rick out of her voice. _'LIMP HOT DOG!?'_ He would show her a limp hot dog! That was if Rachel, his daughter, and maybe even Katherine wasn't there. "She's talking about you, kiddo." Martha whacked him in the back with a smile. Rick, however, was still speechless. "Please tell me these two are a part of your home." She turned her attention to Alexis and Katherine.

"We're together." Alexis pointed at Katherine and then herself which earned her a quick kiss along with a hand on her right breast. That had Alexis smiling while she looked at Katherine. "Pity, the four of us could have had so much fun together," she pouted. "We still can if Alexis and Rachel are willing to share," Katherine said, catching on fast. "Ooh, I like your friend! And those legs! I'm dying to have them wrapped around me squeezing the life out of me." She shook her booty.

"Excuse me?" Rick didn't like where this topic was going. It was bad enough his daughter was having sex with Katherine, let alone three other women. "I'll give, what's your excuse?" She glared at Rick, challenging him. "You're suggesting having sex with my daughter." Rick didn't understand this woman. "Daughter, girlfriend, bed partner, whatever. What are you? A sexist bigot? Maybe you should go back and crawl back under your rock and stick your head in the sand." she challenged.

He knew an insult when he heard one. "I am _not_..." She interrupted him. "A sexist bigot? You most certainly are. You've been disgusted with this place ever since you stepped in here. If you don't like the term then don't be one. If you're going to act like one then I'm going to call you one and wonder what sweet, tasty Rachel here sees in your sorry ass." She continued to insult him.

Rick looked at Rachel and then looked at her. Rachel was his girlfriend and this bitch wasn't taking her from him. "I'm _not_ a bigot," he stated proudly. "Seriously!? Take a good look around _BIGOT!"_ She motioned with her arm and waited for Rick to look around. Still all he saw were women everywhere. Most were younger than him, Rachel, or Katherine, but not all. As he watched, he saw several of them holding hands across the table; a few were openly kissing while out on the dance floor with hands on each others butts. It was then that it hit Rick.

"Everyone in this bar, save for you three, are openly lesbian and there are thousands more in this city. This is a lesbian only bar which means _you_ have to leave and the women get to stay," she informed him coldly then motioned for two women to escort him out the door. "But, but..." he repeated as each one took a firm hold of each arm and escorted him out the door while the others watched. Rick was outside looking in while the women sat at the bar and drank their drinks.

"Is he still watching?" Alexis asked, feeling a little bad about what they had done to him. Martha made a soft turn to talk to Rachel but looked past her. "Richard is glued to the window," Martha confirmed. "Maybe we over did it." Alexis still felt bad. "Hold firm dear, your father will come around eventually," their new friend said. "Just so long as she doesn't kiss me again. No offense," Rachel remarked. That made the four of them laugh. "I could tell you've never kissed a woman before, still it wasn't bad. With just a little more practice..." she said deadpan then started laughing loudly at the face Rachel was making.

Alexis thanked her for her help and placed a fair amount of cash on the bar. The female bartender picked it up and would hand to their new friend later. They had to make it look good since Rick was still glued to the glass. "Good luck with your father. Stay as long as you wish, and depending on how long you want him to suffer, I suggest you two stay and dance together for a while. It's been a pleasure meeting all of you." She fake kissed Rachel and really kissed Alexis, Katherine, and even Martha. "It's not too late for you either," she teased Martha before walking off. "You're amazing Rachel." Martha was loving this outing and ordered another drink. Maybe with just a few more of them in her, she just might leave here with a woman tonight!

Rachel watched Katherine and Alexis dance together while they looked at each other. She really hoped Katherine wasn't what she feared because that would hurt Alexis. Those two were definitely in love. What Katherine's plan was escaped her. Maybe she had found someone and had abandoned her past. Rachel hoped so.

It was only a little later that Rachel was smiling widely as free-spirited Martha was dancing the fast songs with a woman far too young for her, but they were both having fun. Rachel had already turned down two women and it appeared that the message was out on her since no one else came up to her.

It was 1:00 am when they finally called it a night even though the place was still going strong. For someone Alexis's age, it was actually just getting started as more and more women entered. "Leaving alone Grams?" Alexis teased. "Yes, darling. It was fun but it's not for me. Thank you for tonight Rachel, it's been a while since I've had this much fun." Martha grabbed her arm and escorted her out the door. "It was a pleasure Martha. Now we just need to find Rick." Rachel looked around till she spotted him. He was a little ways down, sitting on the curb across the street, with a stick in his hand, doodling in a puddle since a quick shower had blown through while he was outside. However, he wasn't wet since he had found cover.

Rick looked up when he heard the sound of heels near him. "Coming Rick?" Rachel reached out a hand. "Not leaving with your old friend?" he asked, not taking her hand and not getting up. "No, and for the record I'm not a lesbian and have no interest in another woman. I prefer men, real men. You wouldn't happen to know of one that wants to escort me back to our hotel room, do you?" she asked him. It took him a minute but he jumped up then moaned. His muscles still didn't like him, but he took her hand in his. She smiled at him and he finally smiled back.

Then suddenly he looked contrite. "I'm sorry pumpkin, I really am. It's just so hard to watch my little girl grow up. I've always had a hard time with that and maybe I always will. I do want to see you happy though. ...Forgive me?" he asked quietly. Then suddenly it hit him now that he wasn't pouting and sitting outside on a cold curb while the women in his life were inside drinking and having fun.

"You set me up." He was surprised and just a little put out. "And what did you learn kiddo?" Martha inquired. "That the women in my life are devious? ...And worth more than their weight in gold. I really _was_ dead, wasn't I?" he finally questioned. "Very dead Dad and it hurt so very much," Alexis confirmed.

Katherine wasn't expecting it but she was soon engulfed in a bear hug by Rick. "I still don't understand and maybe I never will, but thank you. Thank you from my heart. I know you did it for Alexis and not me, but thank you." He squeezed her tight. She finally hugged him back. "You're welcome and for the record, until I met Alexis, I never thought of myself as being interested in women either," she told him. Rick let go of her and stepped back. "Can we go back to the hotel now?" He had been alone outside for long enough. It had allowed him time to think and he didn't like the word "bigot," even if he had acted like one. He wasn't cured, but he _would_ get better.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was two weeks later and Rick, Rachel, and Martha were gone. Rick had been thrilled to finally get his hug from his daughter at the airport. "Let me know what you have planned pumpkin," he had asked her. "I will Dad, it was nice having you here." Alexis wasn't quite as angry with him anymore, though she was still disappointed in him.

They had eventually gotten to see the island and saw just how big it really was. Rick stood in one of the empty antiaircraft gun pits. He had brought his hands together and faked firing the big guns. Alexis smiled while Rachel rolled her eyes. Alexis had watched her father limp away holding Rachel's hand as they walked. Rachel had kept her word and was forcing Rick into the exercise room and was going to get him a membership in a gym when they got home. He was going to work out and that was the end of it.

"How you feeling?" Katherine stepped in behind her and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Alexis leaned back into her. "Better," she admitted. "Our search has still come up empty," Katherine reminded her.

 **Go back one week:**

They had found a few homes, more apartments than homes, that were in their area of choice. Very, very few allowed pets. "This kitchen is smaller than the closet in the loft," Katherine pointed out, quite frustrated. "And where's the pantry?" She had opened doors and found cooking utensils, pots, pans, plates, glasses, silverware, but even those items were few. Then they made it into the bathroom and they were definitely not impressed. Alexis sat on the toilet seat and reached for the toilet paper on the wall next to her. "I can't even reach the toilet paper," she said, annoyed. "And they want US$4680 a month for this place and it doesn't even have a view!" Alexis shot it down.

The last one was even worse, if that was possible. It was an attic apartment that had dormers. It was just that the ceiling sloped down so low. There was a dining room table that could actually seat six, supposedly. But the chair on one end, up against the outside wall, was only maybe an inch below the sloped ceiling. If anyone was going to sit in that chair, they were going to have to be headless. And then there was the kitchen which was on one wall. The pantry turned out to be a tiny cabinet that was actually sloped on the inside against the roof. "I'm too tall for this place," Katherine pointed out.

 **Back to present time:**

They were parking and locking up their scooters after seeing the last apartment. "Maybe we don't go puppy looking after all," Katherine said, disappointed, since their two places they had selected for visits had been busts. "Maybe ...OW!" Alexis yelped, slapped her hand over the offending spot then pulled out a dart only to have Katherine follow shortly. "What the..." Katherine held up hers and their worlds went dark.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"WAKE UP!" Katherine heard the voice and she also felt pain on the side of her face. "The drug wasn't that powerful," a voice said. She sleepily opened her eyes and blinked, trying to clear her vision. "Jackson?" Katherine questioned muzzily only to be punched in the face this time which split her lip open. "SHUT-UP! Only speak to answer my questions. You can either cooperate or we do this the hard way, which I prefer," Jackson practically snarled. "Now why are you involved with my granddaughter?" he demanded. "Where is Alexis?" Katherine asked and was immediately punched in the face again. "You should know how this works Katherine Houghton Beckett or should I say Serena Kaye?" he asked sarcastically.

"A house in Kansas City, one in Canada, and one in Fiji. Nice car by the way, you might even know how to drive it. I really like that plane. You're good, but not that good. Now, what do you hope to gain being involved with my granddaughter?" Jackson asked her again. "I love her," Katherine replied and was punched again. She licked the blood away then tried to move her hands. They were bound behind her with her sitting in a chair. The idea of kicking him in the mouth ended when she realized her legs were just as bound.

"What have you done to Alexis?" Katherine asked him. "You should be more concerned about yourself," Jackson informed her and hit her again. "Perhaps if you lose a few fingernails it will loosen your tongue," he threatened. She spat the blood out of her mouth and glared at him, then watched him turn to the table behind him to pick something up. Katherine concentrated. She hadn't had much practice at this but her grandmother had told her what to do and think.

It only took a couple of seconds and when Jackson turned back around with his needle nose pliers to rip her nails out, he was shocked, frozen in place. Katherine wound up and launched herself at him. She bit him hard in the thigh and injected her venom into his leg. Jackson screamed and swatted the medium-sized viper off his leg then watched it fly across the room and hit the far wall. "Damn it!" he was pissed. _'Where the hell had the viper come from? And where the hell was his captive?'_

Jackson picked up a knife and cut his pant leg open. Sure enough, he saw two nasty holes from a snake bite. It was a god damn Pit Viper, too, a damn big one at that. Still with the knife in hand he looked over at where the snake had landed with the intent of cutting it into pieces. However, he almost dropped the knife; his eyes opened wide and his jaw fell to the floor. He watched as a Black Bear roared at him. It charged him, took a swing and ripped his chest open, then he felt the weight of the bear force him to the ground. He stabbed the knife directly in the belly of the bear then watched its head come down and bite him in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain as it ripped his shoulder open.

The door came crashing open. "What the hell?" Mike yelled as he watched the bear lift up and look at him after ripping open Jackson's shoulder. He could even hear the crunching of bone. It was such a shock that he barely had his weapon out as the bear reared up and took a swing at him that ripped his face open from above his left eye, down to his lower right jaw. The swipe took his left eye out, almost ripped his nose off, and slashed open his upper and lower lip. He screamed, but he still managed to get a shot off and hit the bear before having his hand almost bitten off, forcing him to drop his weapon. Mike stumbled off to one side and watched the bear bound out of the room. He was a mess and could barely see anything; the pain was excruciating. He remained conscious just long enough to pull out his cell phone and make a call. He hoped they got here in time then he blacked out.

Katherine found herself hurting; she was down in a basement of some building. She sniffed and sniffed as she searched for the stairs. Mike's scent lead her to the stairs and up she went, grunting from the pain as she climbed. Upstairs she found a metal door that she couldn't open with her bear claws. She considered changing back to a human but she could only change forms three times a day at her level and she had already used two of them. She needed to stay a bear in case there were more of them. The stairs kept going up so she continued up. She found the upstairs door open that lead out onto an elevated walkway with a railing on one side. It looked big, empty, and old. One side had lots of doors at her level. She sniffed around again till she caught Alexis's scent and followed it to a door. Again, she couldn't open it, however this door wasn't made of metal, so she began hitting it with her claws until it finally splintered enough and fell open.

Inside she found Alexis sitting in a chair looking at her with fear. Katherine tried to say something but all that came out was another roar which only frightened Alexis even more. She moved slowly across to her then placed her muzzle in her lap and looked up at her. Katherine didn't know how long she had, so she lifted her head up, reached across, and licked Alexis's face with a nice long, sloppy lick. "Eww!" Alexis complained. Still Katherine hoped she had made her intention known. She moved down to Alexis's legs and bit through the bindings that were holding them then moved around to bite her arms free.

Alexis stood and rubbed at her hands while staring at the bear. Katherine knew they needed to get out of there and lumbered to the open door. When Alexis didn't follow, she looked inside and roared, then left again. Finally seeing Alexis following, she went downstairs, hit the door, and backed off. Alexis put her thumb on the handle, pulled it open, and watched the bear quickly go through. What Alexis also saw was a trail of blood. "You're hurt!" Alexis ran to catch up and dropped her fear of the bear long enough to get it to stop and looked it over.

"Oh my god, you've got a knife in you!" Alexis was shocked. She decided to risk it and pulled it out quickly, causing the bear to roar in pain. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She tossed the knife away and watched the bear head for what looked like a door that would hopefully lead outside. Alexis watched it get up on its hind legs and push the emergency exit bar. The bear forced the door open and went outside. She followed and didn't see anyone. In fact the entire place looked like it had been deserted for a very long time.

They were in deep trouble and Katherine had to make a decision, so she reverted back to her human form. " **KAT!** "Alexis was at her side in an instant. "You're bleeding. Bleeding badly, and is that a bullet wound?" She had only ever seen pictures and read descriptions. Kat was also naked. "Phone?" Katherine asked tiredly. Alexis shook her head. "They took it along with everything else. We need to get you to a hospital," she asserted, but wasn't sure how she was going to do that. "I'll be fine, just give me a minute." And Katherine cast a spell, _Cure Light Wounds._ It didn't solve everything, but it did help. "WOW!" Alexis watched as both her wounds got better. She was still bleeding a little but it was a whole lot less now. "We need to get out of here before they either recover or help arrives," Katherine said, then continued, "I can only change one more time, so I need you to get on and ride me."

"Ride you? I can't ride you, besides you're still hurt." Alexis didn't understand. "You'll understand shortly. Just keep your eyes open for some clothes I can wear. I can't talk after I change, so don't get off. ...Ready?" Katherine asked her and watched Alexis nod hesitantly. She dropped to the floor and within seconds, a naked Katherine transformed into a Donkey. It looked at Alexis and hee-hawed at her till she climbed on and held on while the Donkey took off walking rapidly. "You're really Kat?" Alexis questioned, not believing her own eyes, then heard the Donkey hee-haw at her again. "I'll take that as a yes. I don't know where we are so just go somewhere, maybe we'll get lucky," Alexis told her, still trying to wrap her head around Katherine being a big Black Bear and now a Donkey.

"Druid huh?" Alexis guessed and got another hee-haw as the Donkey just kept walking fast.


	59. Chapter 59

**K and K 59**

It was almost dark by the time they reached their apartment. Alexis had found clothes she could steal for Katherine which made her feel bad. However, she took note of where they were and planned to send them enough money to buy twice that many, if not three times what she had taken. They had reached the edge of wherever they were and Katherine had changed back to human form to put them on. The clothes weren't great and Katherine looked weird wearing them, plus she'd bled on them and she was barefoot.

Alexis found out just what else she could do when two spells were cast on her: _Bear's Endurance_ and _Longstrider._ In turn, Katherine did the same for herself. Alexis felt powerful in a way she never had before and found that she could run quite fast. Unfortunately, running made Katherine's wounds open up some and caused her to start bleeding badly. Katherine stayed out of the way while Alexis knocked on a neighbor's door and explained she was locked out with no ID and no phone. It took two hours, but the owner finally showed up with a single set of spare keys which was enough to get them into their apartment. "We need to get you cleaned up. Get out of those clothes and let me look at you," Alexis said worriedly, then went looking for the first-aid kit which turned out to be mostly useless.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Alexis had also come back with the small amount of real cash they had left behind. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest. I'll pray for my spells in the morning and fix this." Katherine tried to sound reassuring. "And what would they do when they find out I've been shot?" She had long ago learned what a gun was and had been amazed. She had been all set to call it magic. Alexis sat back dejected. "Probably call the police who will ask a lot of questions. Questions we can't answer." Questions about Jackson, questions about Katherine, and why they had both been taken. Kate being a Thief/Assassin was biting them in the ass.

"They took everything; my keys, my ID, money, my phone. And what happened to your face?" Alexis had only just now noticed since everything had calmed down a little. Katherine's lips were still split open and she showed signs of bruising where she had been hit. "Your grandfather wanted answers and he had also found out my other name is Serena Kaye," Katherine told her. "OH NO!" Alexis placed her hands over her mouth. It meant someone with power knew too much about Kate. "And he's _not_ my grandfather. Anyone that vile isn't my grandfather." Alexis refused to accept him.

"So what did he want?" Alexis was curious. To her way of thinking a real grandfather would be nice, would be protective of them. "Me, I think. He kept asking why I was with you." Alexis let out a laugh at that. "If kidnapping and beating up the person I love is his idea of protecting me, I can do without him. ...How did you get away?" Alexis hadn't been treated badly, Mike had even apologized for tying her to the chair. He said it was for "her own protection."

"I changed into a venomous snake and bit him. At that point I changed into a bear and bit him on the shoulder as hard I could. After that this other guy showed up and shot me. So I ripped his face open with my claws. Then I went looking for you," Katherine disclosed. That explained the blood that had been on the bear's face. "So you can turn into a snake and a bear," Alexis stated, looking for more information. "It was something my gran told me I could learn to do as I got more powerful. Just animals, and right now they can only be small or about my size. A monkey's too small and a horse is too big. That will change when or if I become more powerful," Katherine said.

"And a snake isn't too small?" Alexis questioned. "Not if you make it the size I did." Katherine counters.

Alexis had done her best to patch Katherine's wounds while they talked and started cleaning up her mess. "We need to get that bullet out but I don't know how to do that." Alexis was at a loss. "Plus we need to replace our IDs, get new phones, get access to enough money to buy new phones. At least we still have our passports. We could use the laptop to get one of our account numbers and with our passports get enough money to last a while. Get new phones, cancel our old credit cards." They had so much to do, and Alexis was so furious at her supposed Grandfather. "Oh, and get another set of keys made. By the way, where are your boat keys?" Alexis asked. "In our room on the dresser, I think." Katherine had gotten used to keeping them separate since they didn't use it daily yet. "You're sure you're alright?" Alexis wanted to get moving before it got dark. "I'll be fine, just let me rest. I'll recover my spells in the morning and I can fix all this," Katherine assured her. "Including getting the bullet out?" Alexis asked. Was that part of healing her wounds? "I guess we'll find out," she said.

"I'll be back after I change clothes. I need my passport, bank account number, and new phone. We can get yours later," Alexis said and went in their bedroom to change. Finished, she came back to the living room where Katherine had moved to and kissed her. "Do not die on me or I'll kill you," Alexis said while smiling. "I'll do my best." Katherine pulled her head down so she could properly kiss her and watched her leave. Alexis was happy their scooters had combination locks since neither of them had any keys.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis found Katherine asleep when she got back. She had cash to go shopping for groceries and a new iPhone 6. She had even managed to cancel her other phone so that no one could use it or transfer all of her contacts. Now she was on the laptop so she could cancel their credit cards and get new ones sent ASAP. Next she called New York before they closed so she could get a new drivers license sent out, followed by calling Kansas City which was where Kate's drivers license said she was from. Having all of Kate's information on the laptop was proving to be helpful.

She debated what to do and if she should. It's just that her... that _he_ wanted her father dead. "Hi Rachel, we need to talk." Alexis knew her voice was laced with trouble and Rachel could probably hear it. It was just that they _were_ in trouble, dire trouble. Maybe all of them.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kevin was out in front again with Javi right behind him. Guri was last and even though they had cleared out everything behind them, that didn't mean another row boat could sneak in behind them and be a problem.

The corridor/tunnel curved to the right and was only wide enough for one person. It was jagged on the sides, like it had been hammered out using hand tools. Plus the sides were a little sharp. It continued on for about 50 feet before opening up onto a ledge above a beach. Right in front of them, about 100 feet away across the water, was the three-masted ship. And sure enough it had a few people on it. All half-elven-half-dragon looking, all male.

There were two row boats on the beach, a set of stairs leading down to the beach on their right along with an even higher set of stairs leading up to the wooden walkway, reaching to the other side. To their left was another corridor/tunnel that looked to curve to the right.

Across the water beyond the ship looked to be a ship that was under construction. There were people over there as well. It was dry docked and not nearly as big as the three-masted ship in front of them. Kevin decided on the path to the left, guided Javi out in front of him, and made sure everyone went that way till now he was last in line protecting their six.

The corridor/tunnel zigzagged for easily 100 feet before opening into the cavern again with steps leading up to the platform. The bow of the ship was right in front of them. The platform continued on past the ship and looked to make a sharp left then disappeared into the rock. They could see the walkway leading onto the ship that would take them right to the front fore deck where the forward mast was located.

"Go past the ship. If we start a fight here we'll draw everyone in the area to us," Kate whispered to Javi and told Rick who was behind her who then passed it on down the line. Everyone moved slowly and carefully, trying not to make a sound, and went past the ship down the port side. It was a really nice ship and being this close, they could see that it had several heavy ballistae on the top deck, along with areas below deck that likely had them. To Kate, it reminded her of those old pirate movies with canon above and below decks. _'Thank god_ _they're only_ _ballista_ _e_ _._ ' It was all she saw on the top deck since the gun hatches on the side were all closed. She shuddered to think what an English Ship of the Line with 36 or 37 cannons on each side could do in this world.

Their route quickly turned left and started going up a set of stairs again. There was a hard right at the top that opened into a cavern filled with water. A plank across the water lead to the far side with another corridor/tunnel leading into the rock and turning right.

"One at a time," Kate whispered to Javi when he asked then she passed it to Rick who passed it down the line. Javi, Kate, and Rick were soon across with Jenny being next, just standing there. Guri traded places with Lanie. "What is wrong?" she asked Jenny. "I can't swim." Jenny hated water because of it. "Your necklace will prevent you from drowning even if you sink to the bottom. Regardless of how deep this is, you will be fine," Guri told her.

Her reassurance was enough to get Jenny moving though she was really slow. Those that could see her gasped a couple of times when it looked like she was about to fall in. Javi grabbed her and yanked her onto dry land. "I can't swim," Jenny repeated to the others on this side. Once everyone was across, Javi started out again. He found the corridor/tunnel opened into a cave with another pool of water though there was a walkable ledge around the edge of it to the far side where another corridor/tunnel opened up.

It left them little choice but to go one by one as this ledge varied from three feet wide to at best, five feet wide. Just as Kevin cleared the opening and Javi was almost to the next opening, a large spout of water rose up out of the pool and grabbed hold of Kate. It plunged back down into the water with her. That was immediately followed by another one rising up and grabbing hold of Jenny; it plunged back down into the water with her screaming in fear the entire way.

They were all frozen in shock at what had just happened till Guri leapt into the water with her sword out. That was followed by Rick crushing an **Elemental Gem** and getting a **Water Elemental** that he ordered into the water. Lanie, Kevin, and Javi quickly followed suit and crushed their own **Water Elemental Gem** **s** , ordering them into the water.

Kate was pretty sure she was being crushed but didn't feel any pain, however her arms were pinned to her side as were her legs. She could see Jenny getting the same treatment; even under water, Kate could hear Jenny screaming in sheer terror. Helpless and being crushed didn't sit well with Kate, but there didn't appear to be much she could do about it. Then what looked like vague humans made of water showed up and two started swatting at what was holding her while another two did the same for Jenny. Kate smiled knowing where these guys came from while she doubled her efforts to get free. Then she saw Guri, still dressed, swimming down to her. Guri took a swing at what was holding Jenny. It took a little time but Jenny was doing her best to reach the top as Guri swam over to her and helped the now four **Water Elementals** free her.

It didn't take long until Kate was stroking to the surface next to Guri who was doing the same. Breaking the surface, Kate found Jenny standing there crying while being tightly held by Kevin. Kate turned to Guri. "Thanks." Kate had learned to accept help from other people in this world. "You are welcome." And both accepted a hand out of the water.

Guri moved past everyone to get a look at what was next while Rick wrapped his arms around Kate. Kevin was doing the same with Jenny who had calmed down somewhat. "Thanks babe." Kate pressed her wet face and body into his and he didn't say a thing. "I HATE WATER! I hate it," Jenny ranted while trying to disappear into Kevin's arms.

Guri gave them a minute. "You should come see," she insisted then turned around and went into the corridor/tunnel. Eventually everyone followed her and entered a hollowed out large room, roughly 40 feet by 40 feet, filled with crates and barrels. So much so that it was hard to maneuver in this room to the other side where Guri was waiting for them.

"What are in these?" Kate asked and found that the crates were sealed shut as were the barrels. "Rum, whiskey, wine maybe." She tried to move one of the barrels and found that it was heavy, indicating it was full. "This way," Guri called out quietly then disappeared into another corridor/tunnel on the far end.

There were steps leading down, steep steps at that. They opened into a larger chamber that was 70 feet across by maybe 80 feet deep. It had six columns of rock in a circular pattern from floor to ceiling. Inside of that was another pool of water that had stepping stones across to the other side. It was what was on the other side that held everyone's attention as they strained to see before stepping into the room itself.

In a large pile on the far side were copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins. As well as gems of different types and sizes, a set of plate armor that was sort of greenish-blue in color, and other items. "There are magical items on the far side," Kevin advised them, not that he needed to. However it was the pool of water that held them in place, that and the suits of armor in the depressions along the outside wall. To Kate, it reminded her of a giant spoked wheel. Each spoke held a suit of armor. "Those are magical also," Kevin pointed out. There were six **S** **uits** in total, three on each side. Seven if you counted the one lying in a pool of treasure. "X marks the spot!" Kate was smiling. It sure looked to her like this was a hidden away pirate treasure. All that was missing was the chest to put it all in.

" **Elemental Gems**?" Javi questioned as he took out an **Earth Elemental** **Gem** followed by Kate who had an **Air Elemental**. Soon the others, including Guri, had one in hand. "On three," Kate said. "One, ...two, ...three." Everyone threw theirs against the rock wall or crushed it in their hands. Three **Earth Elementals** , two **Air Elementals** , and two **Water Elementals** instantly appeared; the **Suits of Armor** around the sides suddenly animated and moved toward the **Elementals** that started swinging away at them. It took a little time, but the **S** **uits** were all in pieces lying on the floor. Since nothing came up out of the water, Javi, Kate, and Rick started across to the treasure while the others warily watched the things lying on the floor that Kevin said were still magical. Guri watched their only way out.

Rick pulled out his **Portable Hole** and opened it up. They started gathering it all up, keeping an eye open for bags or backpacks or anything else that might be larger on the inside than the outside. It took time, but Javi finally picked up the last coin and actually looked at it. "Doesn't look like one I've ever seen before," he commented before handing it off to Rick who looked at it then shook his head before tossing it into the **Hole**. Folding it up, they walked back to the others just as the **Elementals** vanished, their time here had run out.

Guri was the last one out. Just as she did, she saw all of the **S** **uits** had reassembled themselves and moved back into their alcoves. _'Nothing to attack was in the room so they withdrew_ _,_ _'_ Guri thought to herself. It meant they wouldn't have those things chasing them everywhere they went.

"What do we do about all this?" Kate questioned as they re-entered the storage room. "They won't fit into our backpacks and the **Hole** is a little full, plus we'll crush what's in there with any of this," Rick mentioned, not liking that they had to leave it behind.

"Isn't the boat that's under construction just the other side of this wall?" Javi queried. "Twenty maybe 30 feet of rock at best," he guessed. "What good does it do us? We can't dig it and even if we could, it would take days if not weeks." Kate pointed out a flaw in his thinking. "Perhaps, but I can create a temporary opening, we just need to move all these crates and barrels," Guri said pulling out her **S** **taff**.

"These things are heavy," Kate commented then saw Rick take out another **G** **em** and crush it, releasing an **Earth Elemental**. "Move all this stuff here and stack it up in that tunnel there." Rick pointed to the tunnel leading to the empty treasure chamber. They watched as the strong **Earth Elemental** started moving crates and barrels. "You have your moments babe, not many, but you do have them." Kate was smiling as she teased him then kissed his cheek. Rick, to his credit, just grinned. "Lunch while we wait?" he suggested and soon they were unpacking cold food since they had no fire and weren't going to make one there. Kate was starving and wolfed her food down like she hadn't eaten in a week. "God, I needed that," she mentioned as she watched the others eat more slowly.

Their **Earth Elemental** was done and had exposed a rock wall with a path wide enough for them to travel through. " **Stoneskin** babe?" Kate suggested and soon Rick and Guri were tapping people with their **W** **ands**. Those with **R** **ings** , including Guri, became invisible while Rick tapped the others.

"Ready? The opening will last a few hours and I can cancel it at anytime in case we need to withdraw for any reason," Guri informed them. "All..." Kate clapped a hand over her mouth and shouldered her way through the others moving toward the pool behind them. She dropped to her hands and knees throwing up the lunch she had just eaten.

Javi, Kevin, and Guri followed quickly by Rick went after her and just watched as she sat back on her heels. Guri crouched down. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a jar of something and handed her a pill before putting the jar back. "Here, this should help with the morning sickness," Guri offered. Kate's eyes widened in surprise as the pill was placed in her hand. "MORNING SICKNESS!?" She knew what it was but she just figured it was her lunch fighting back. "You didn't know?" Guri asked, shocked that she didn't know her own body. "I suspected but wasn't really sure, and I needed to be here. They need my help." Kate began to giggle. "I'm pregnant." She held her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound as she smiled. "I'm having a baby." This life was so different from the one she used to have. She was getting what she had missed out on in her life. All the different choices she had made in life.

"Pregnant." Kate tried it on for size again and started getting congratulations from Javi and Kevin who were with her. "Thanks guys." She wiped away the tears that had started, not knowing why she was crying.

Kate found herself being lifted up by a smiling Rick who hugged her and then kissed her. "Let's get moving so we can go home. I want my baby," she stated after breaking from the kiss that she suddenly found the wanted to do a whole lot more of. Looking Rick in the eye told her all she needed to know. God, but she loved him!

"Let's get this over with." Kate waited for Guri who raised her **S** **taff** and in an instant, a 10 foot by 10 foot by 30 foot long tunnel just manifested. They could see the tip of a row boat and the boat under construction just beyond. "YES!" Jenny was happy since it meant no swimming. Javi went first followed by Kevin, Kate, Rick, Jenny, Lanie, and finally Guri who put her **S** **taff** away.

They could hear people working inside the boat. There was wood piled to their left next to the rock wall. A large plank lead up to the boat on this side allowing access to the interior. It was clearly only a hull that was still being worked on from the inside. Beyond the boat on a raised cliff was a crane that had someone manning it; he had likely just lowered something down. Behind him was an opening along with more wood piled up along with barrels and crates. The raised cliff area went around to their right on the far side then went toward the wooden walkway. However there was a smell they couldn't quite place.

Kate was starting to place it but it just wasn't possible here so it didn't make sense to her. They needed to know how many were in the boat and they needed to get the guy at the crane. "If we don't do this quietly enough, we'll have everyone on that ship come down on us," Kate cautioned.

"I'll take the one at the crane, you worry about what's in the boat," Kate said. "I will come with you," Guri insisted. At first Kate thought it was because she was pregnant. "Someone needs to watch your back. If you are wrong about him being alone..." Guri trailed off. Kate nodded and with Guri, headed out around the end of the hull where they found still more wood, crates, and barrels, one of which was open. Kate stopped to examine it, picking up one of what was inside. "Where did they get nails like this?" It was too modern looking for this world from what she had seen so far.

"Lolth," was Guri's response as Kate put it back down and nodded. It fit what she knew of Lolth.


	60. Chapter 60

**K and K 60**

Alexis didn't sleep at all that night. She'd kept watch as Katherine slept, got up to check on her wound, made sure she was still breathing. Finally Katherine woke and started to stretch, causing her complain about the pain. She let her be as she watched Katherine pray for her spells for the day. An hour later Katherine finally moved again. "Every spell I can memorize is a _Cure Wounds_ spell," Katherine told her. "Here we go, strongest spell I know first." _Cure Moderate Wounds._ She paid close attention and watched in amazement as the bullet began coming out of Katherine's belly. Katherine groaned from the pain. Alexis heard it hit the floor and saw the wound start closing up. "Once again," Katherine said then cast the spell once more. In no time that wound and the other one were all healed, looking like they had never happened. Katherine cast _Cure Light Wounds_ for her face which took two before she was looking like herself.

Alexis gently ran her hand over Katherine's stomach wound in case it still hurt, followed by touching her face. "Amazing!" She smiled, pleased her love no longer hurt. "Can you do that to anyone or just you?" she asked. "Anyone I touch after casting the spell," Katherine confirmed. It was good information to know.

"I called Rachel while you slept. I was worried Jackson would change his focus to my dad. I might still be a little angry with him, but I can't lose him again. _...I just can't."_ Alexis couldn't stop the tears and she found herself in Katherine's arms. "What did she say?"

"She plans on moving into the loft so she can keep an eye on him." Alexis started grinning. "Oh, I can just imagine what your father's going to think of that decision." Katherine rolled her eyes which made Alexis laugh.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Mike worked really hard at opening his eyes. He found himself in one of those white rooms and could hear the all too familiar beep, beep. The sound told him he had gotten through to someone who had picked him, or hopefully them, up.

Trying to sit up only caused pain and a sudden increase of the beeping followed quickly by the door to his room bursting open. "You still with us Major?" she asked, swiftly checking his machine and the tubes that he was connected to to make sure he hadn't done something. "What, where?" He laid back and just rested. "You're in Germany Major. As to the what, I'll leave that to your doctor to explain to you the next time you're awake," she told him. "I am ...awake," he mumbled, only it didn't last long and he was asleep again. "Yeah, they all say that." She smiled and looked over everything again, made a note on his chart and left again.

He had no idea how much time had passed as he reached up to feel the bandages on his face. He vaguely remembered what had happened. What he did remember didn't make any sense though. He was still trying to piece it all together when two men, one looking like a doctor and one in an army uniform, walked into his room. "Major, I'm Dr. Gilligan." And he waited for the jokes. "Sounds made up." It also told him his supposed doctor was CIA. "It is." He smiled at him. "Before the colonel here starts questioning you, I'm going to inform you of your injuries and what they mean for you." He waited for Mike to nod.

"You've had your face ripped open by what looks to us like claws since they were spaced perfectly. It ripped your left eyeball out of its socket. By the time you were brought to us, it had been placed back in its socket. You underwent surgery which temporarily removed it again; we cleaned the eye socket and replaced the eyeball. It'll be weeks if not months before we even try to find out if your vision in that eye has been affected and how severely." Gilligan paused so Mike could absorb that information.

"The next problem was it ripped your nose wide open and almost removed it. You've already undergone one surgery and will likely need another. We're thinking you'll still be able to smell things, but you're never going to look the same," Gilligan informed him. "Meaning I won't have women falling at my feet anymore," Mike joked since there wasn't a woman who was doing that now. "Never say never," the doctor countered. "Now as for your mouth. As you've probably noticed, it feels funny. That's because of the stitches in your lips. With some time to let them heal, you'll be kissing the ladies just like before," he assured him. "Meaning never, thanks a lot doc," Mike joked again, which didn't get his guests to smile. _'Tough crowd_ _,_ _'_ he thought. "Where's Jackson?" Where was his friend. He watched Gilligan look at the officer and then left.

"I'll be blunt Major. Agent Jackson has had his left shoulder joint removed and we are waiting for him to recover sufficiently for him to survive major surgery to replace it and his collar bone. The tendons and muscles in that area were all but destroyed. If he's really lucky he'll be able to move his left arm again. Gripping anything that weighs more than a few pounds will never happen. Likely he won't be able to ever lift his arm above his head again," the colonel said.

"You mean he's finished," Mike stated bluntly. "Just like you are, yes." Mike moaned. They had been through so much together. Fought off extremist screwballs hell-bent on killing themselves and anyone else they could take with them. Hunted down some of the most cold-blooded killers on the planet. Fought their way out of certain death and all it took to end their careers was one stinking bear that appeared out of nowhere while Jackson was trying to find out who was impersonating his son. "May I see him?" Mike asked. "He's been placed in a medically induced coma to let his body heal. Even he couldn't handle the pain involved with his injuries if we left him awake," the colonel informed him. "I said see him, not talk to him!" Mike countered, not taking no for an answer.

It was three days before his bed was wheeled into Jackson's room. Jackson looked like hell to him. He was still in a coma, his entire left side all bandaged up and it would have been impossible for him to see anything if he was awake. There wasn't anything he wasn't hooked up to, it seemed. "I'll make the call Jack. No one will touch Alexis who shouldn't. I'll see to it. I'll also make a call to check on your son, alive or dead. ...I promise." He owed Jackson and he was going to deliver.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Say that again!" Rick was sure he was hearing things. Things like this just didn't happen to him. The Universe hated him, he was sure of it. "I'm moving in," Rachel repeated, as she made room in the walk-in closet to hang several things she had brought with her. What she'd brought wasn't even half of what she had. Next came making space in his drawers for her more intimate items.

"Your daughter called and told me that she and Katherine had been taken by Jackson," Rachel told him while putting several pairs of panties in the drawer. Then she turned back to her suitcase. " _ **HE WHAT!?**_ ...Is she alright? What happened? ...Rachel!" Rick all but shouted at her. Then he wondered why Alexis had called her instead of him. Was she still that angry with him? "Relax Rick, they're both fine thanks to Katherine. She got them out though she didn't have much time to talk. They had only just gotten into their apartment again with no keys. Purchased a new phone since they didn't have one. Called to get new drivers licenses and canceled their credit cards. Luckily they had left their passports at the apartment," Rachel told him as she placed some of her bras into another now empty drawer.

"GOD!" Rick sat on the bed and quietly fell to pieces. Alexis was the most important person to him. Not even Rachel meant that much to him, though she was growing closer all the time. "My dad wants me dead and now he wants my _daughter_ dead." He couldn't stop the tears even though men weren't supposed to cry. Rachel sat down next to him. "She said they were fine Rick. Katherine, if I'm right, is perfectly capable and got them out of there." Rachel was guessing since Alexis hadn't said that much, just that she, Rachel, make sure her dad was safe.

"Katherine, how could a... Why do you think she can do anything?" Rick had almost said lesbian since that was what he was thinking. Rachel would have lowered the boom on him, probably moved right back out and let his father kill him. "Seriously Rick?" Rachel threw a frustrated look at him. "She flew us to Copenhagen in a private jet that has its own pilot. Just how do you think she managed that?" She questioned his intelligence. "Corporate jet. ...How else does one explain having access to a jet that nice?" he asked. And She actually gave him back some of the points she had just taken away from him.

"She's self-employed." Rachel shook her head. "Self..." Rick trailed off not understanding. "How could a self-employed anyone make that much money?" he wondered, his mind now off his daughter. " _And_ defeat your father, or have you forgotten your first meeting?" Rick put a hand to his throat. No, he hadn't forgotten meeting his father. It suddenly hit him. "We need to go get Alexis and keep her safe. Where do we take her?" he asked frantically. Rick wanted her safe.

"She _is_ safe, it's _you_ that he wants dead or have you forgotten that part?" Rachel asked him. The look of shock he was giving her said that he had. It also told him something else. She wasn't moving in because she loved him, she was moving in so she could keep him safe. Likely after Alexis asked her to. Still she was mostly moved in. "You're sure?" Rick questioned. He didn't wait for her to respond. He kissed her and laid her down on the bed then began working on removing her clothes. Rachel spun them so that she was on top and took her own top off followed by her bra. "Very." And she leaned down to kiss him.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rachel had called Alexis daily and found out that they were doing fine. That they only went out when they had to, always together, though that hadn't helped them last time. They had gotten their new credit cards; their new drivers licenses were still coming, whenever that would be. They had cash and were doing fine except for going stir-crazy being trapped inside their own apartment. "Your father's fine, he's working on his book when he remembers to. He's driving me nuts and I'm beginning to question my decision to move in with him to keep him safe." She was seriously rethinking his status as a keeper.

"Dad does dumb stuff when he's bored and feels locked in. If you don't let him go out he'll think of even more crazy things and drive you insane. Trust me." Alexis knew her father well. "Have you challenged him to a game of laser tag?" Alexis knew that would take his mind off his present situation.

Alexis then explained laser tag to her for the next 15 minutes including where in the loft the two suits were stored. "Believe me. If you want Dad to lighten up on his childish antics besides taking him to the gym and get him to work out till he can't move, this will do it," Alexis told her since, like them, Rachel hadn't allowed Rick outside much in an effort to keep him safe.

Rachel's cell phone beeped at her and she saw who was calling. "I gotta go Alexis, you two stay safe." And she changed lines. "What have you found out?" Rachel needed information. "Jackson Hunt doesn't exist; I even pulled in a favor and got nothing. He's either buried so deep in the CIA or he doesn't work for them directly. He may be like the what military does, he may be hired out when they have a situation that needs to be solved then calls him in."

"He doesn't live anywhere, doesn't have a social security number, doesn't have any loans, or owns anything anywhere. Someone like this only means one thing Rach," he warned her. "Highly skilled, very dangerous, doesn't care who he has to kill to complete what he starts. Probably an expert in everything. Explosives, electronics to weaponry. Likely including everything the military has access to." Rachel was ready to collapse. Jackson was way too skilled for her to fight him one-on-one. She still didn't know how those plants stopped him last time, but without them Rick would likely be dead by now. "I'll..." She stopped when there was a knock at the front door.

"I"LL GET IT!" Rick called. "I have to go." Rachel hung up on him and raced for the front door while pulling her weapon, Jackson's weapon, out from behind her. "Rick stop!" she commanded. " _Oh_ _,_ _come on_ _!_ Not everyone is trying to kill me." He was rapidly approaching his breaking point and went ahead and reached for the front door only to have Rachel pull the slide back and release the safety. "Fine, you open it." He stepped back. "I'm unarmed." A voice came through the door from whoever was on the other side. "I'm only here to collect enough blood and material to complete a new DNA test."

Rachel motioned for Rick to open the door carefully while she trained her gun on who might be on the other side. Rick was awake now since Rachel was pointing a weapon at him and carefully opened the door. He was a white male a little younger than either of them, but not as young as Alexis. "I swear I'm alone and unarmed. I only need to obtain a blood sample and another sample to complete a complex DNA test." He was dressed casually, carrying a nondescript case. Rachel motioned him inside and closed and locked the door behind him. Then she put him up against the wall and patted him down while holding her weapon in the middle of his back. He didn't complain or say a word, just went with it.

"Shall we finish?" he asked after she was done. It took only minutes. He poked Rick to get a vial of blood. "OW!" Rick complained but he just ignored him as did Rachel. She had checked his bag before he was allowed to open it and even then she checked it again. He swabbed Rick's mouth and then took a skin sample after asking him to drop his pants. "MY WHAT!?" Rick was not showing this guy his butt. "It will hurt less than taking the sample from either your upper arm or your thigh. Your choice." Rick groaned and moaned but he stood up, unbuckled his belt, unzipped his zipper, then pulled his pants down along with his boxers and mooned the guy. Rachel was amused by his discomfort but watched every move this guy made. "Thank you for your time. Have a pleasant day." He exited the loft and went down the elevator. Rick rubbed his butt where he had taken his sample and pouted.

"Go make us dinner, something that will brighten your mood. Just leave room for dessert." Rachel smiled at him which had Rick hopping into the kitchen with dessert on his mind.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate and Guri went up the stairs from the sandy beach as slowly and quietly as they could, watching their guy watching who was inside the hull of the boat. As soon as Guri could see how many were in the boat, she held up three fingers to alert the others how many were inside it.

Guri saw Kate go left and look down the corridor/tunnel to their left and then she went into the other corridor/tunnel only to show up a moment or two later opposite from her on the other side of their guy and Guri watched her shake her head. That told Guri she hadn't seen anyone, but Kate pointed to the first one and shrugged her shoulders. It must have turned so that she couldn't see the end.

Guri slowly drew her **S** **word** , trying not to make a sound, and got ready to take this guy's leg off. Kate had her **S** **taff** ready and was itching to spin it but that would create a noise, so she refrained. Guri swung and did considerable damage to his right leg causing him to cry out. Then Kate used her **S** **taff** to hit him in the face. Except that he didn't die. He yelled and took a swing at Guri, missing badly. Guri almost sliced his leg off on her next hit and then swung for his other leg doing still more damage, while Kate hooked her **S** **taff** between his damaged legs and planted him face first onto the stone.

This was the signal Javi, Kevin, and Lanie had been waiting for so they ran up the board, leapt into the boat, and selected people who were only armed with working tools then started swinging. With only improvised weapons, they missed their retaliatory strikes while Javi all but sliced his guy into pieces. Kevin whipped his guy, and Lanie hit hers again, this time twice. Their actions had gotten the attention of someone on the ship who began yelling just as Rick used one of his **Wand of Fireball** and launched it out across the water, hitting the upper aft deck of the ship. He got ready to do it again while Jenny looked all around in case someone came their way.

Guri heard him before she saw him and another half-elven-half-dragon male came running down the steps from the direction that Kate had warned her about. He took his swing and missed her while she swung back twice, hitting him both times. Kate ran around the crane and, using her staff like a mini pole vault, slammed both feet into his side which sent him crashing up against the rock wall. That allowed Guri to take a short step and hit him two more times, killing him. Meanwhile, Rick had fired off another _Fireball_ aimed in the same location and got ready for anyone else he saw. Problem was he saw four of them jump over the side but they had dived too deep so he didn't know where they were. "Jenny, crush a **Water Elemental Gem** and send it into the water," he called, then launched another _Fireball_ at three more he saw running along the raised platform just before they jumped into the water.

That put seven of them in the water plus the three that were in the boat. "A little help?" Rick called out and put his **W** **and** away. He got started casting a spell only to hold onto it for now. He just needed one last word to complete it. He waited for a target as he slowly backed up. Jenny was also backing up since she had seen all seven of them, too. She had her **G** **em** out and was ready to use it as she thought about her new lenses since they had worked well last time.

Kevin, Javi, and Lanie were just finishing the last of the three of them when Guri showed up right behind Rick. She'd been using her **C** **ape** and waited with her **S** **word** out and ready in one hand, an **Earth Elemental Gem** in the other. They didn't have long to wait as the first two jumped out of the water and landed on the beach just the other side of the ramp up to the boat. Rick finished his spell of _Lightning Bolt_ and hit the more burnt-looking one on their right and watched him stumble, but not die. That had Rick pulling out a **W** **and**. Guri stepped in front of Rick and swung her **S** **word** twice at the one to their left and did considerable damage. He in turn used his sword and swung twice at Guri, missing both times.

Kevin was at the top of the board and used his whip to hit and kill the one Rick had fried and electrocuted. Kate, meanwhile, had reactivated her **Ring of Invisibility** and watched as two of them jumped out of the water on this side of the boat. She understood they were thinking about going around the boat to place her friends in a pincer move between the two groups. She took out an **Air Elemental Gem** and threw it up against the boat's hull breaking it, releasing an **Air Elemental** to attack them. She took a few steps and jumped to the sand behind them as they dealt with the **Air Elemental**.

Jenny watched three of them jump out of the water. So she fired a fan of light from her gem, using up five charges and was rewarded with seeing all three of them cry out and claw at their eyes.

Guri was handling the one in front of her; Jenny had gotten the three new arrivals to go blind. Suddenly a little red ball launched itself from the ship and exploded, doing some damage to Guri while Rick and Jenny took it on the chin. He pulled his **Wand of Fireball** back out and launched another one at the boat, getting someone to scream in pain.

Kate placed her **S** **taff** between his legs and had her guy face-planted in the sand. She pulled out her dagger and buried it in the back of his right knee, causing him to scream.

Guri killed her guy and moved to the other three that looked like they still wanted to put up a fight even though blind. Kate's **E** **lemental** was taking a beating but was still there. Their **E** **lementals** just weren't that useful against these guys. They were tough.

Kate did the same to the other guy and buried her dagger in the back of his right knee, causing him to scream in pain. Rick shot another _Fireball_ over Guri's head and hit the ship where he hoped the other guy still was. The last two jumped out of the water and landed not far from Guri. One of them was immediately hit by a ray from Jenny's **G** **em** , only to have nothing happen. It pissed her off so she stepped forward past Rick so she could see both of them clearly and they could see her.

Kate killed her two and started running around the boat. Guri was doing damage to the three blind ones as the other two took four swings at her and actually managed to hit her once doing a small amount of damage.

Jenny pulled out a gold coin and threw it at two of them. She got the attention of one of them and she was soon rewarded with his starting to scream as his feet became stone. It worked its way up his body quickly till he was solid stone. Kevin ran down the board to give room for Javi and whipped the non-blind guy as he did.

Rick cast a _Magic Missile_ on him immediately after Kevin. He then took two strikes from Guri and found himself missing an arm from the elbow down. He and the others died quickly just as Kate showed up with her **S** **taff** out and ready. Kevin pointed out five magical weapons on them which turned out to be all they had on them. "Don't these guys get any gold pieces for all this work?" Kate asked. "Search the ship?" she suggested.

It had them up the steps and past the crane and up still more steps where they found the mechanism that would drop the wooden walkway down into the water. Kate started across with Rick right behind her followed by Jenny who still didn't want to fall into the water.

What none of them paid any attention to was the manned ballista on the far side hidden by an outcropping of rock just as they started across. The ballista bolt barely slipped past Kate making her **C** **ape** billow. Rick pointed his **Wand of Fireball** at him and fired. That was soon followed by Guri loosing two arrows over their head to hit him. Still he fired back quickly, far too quickly for the size of the weapon, and his bolt did considerable damage to the bridge support, making it unstable. Rick used his **W** **and** again followed by Guri hitting him two more times and they watched his dead body fall over the side.

They started across the wooden walkway and were about half way when they heard several loud booms. Kate, Rick, and Jenny turned to look and what they saw shocked them. To Kate it looked like a perfect replica of an old British ship of the line. It had three gun decks and in this case, was accurate for the time period of the ship. It was huge and had 36 to 37 cannons on this side alone. The others saw the rock outcropping on the far side take considerable damage, the wooden walkway shaking. _"Back, go back_ _!_ _"_ Kate pushed Rick who made Jenny run just as another set of six cannon balls hit the far side and made the wooden walkway shake badly. Jenny screamed and ran faster since she didn't want to be in the water. Another 12 flew past everything while two hit the ballistae area. One actually hit the aft end of the other ship. That was quickly followed by someone screaming on the ship.

Kate was right behind Rick and took a peek at the huge ship, however it was the two or maybe three dozen or more half-elven-half-dragon men and women crawling over the wood pole barrier meant to keep ships from entering the cove that really caught her attention.

" **OH SHIT!"** As if having a damned ship packed with real cannons wasn't bad enough but the damn thing was likely fully manned as well. Kate wasn't sure just how many that was but it was probably a thousand crew and officers.

They were dead and they were cut off from the mirror to get home.


	61. Chapter 61

**K and K 61**

Kate only just made it to stone as she heard another round of cannon fire followed by more breaking rock, then by the wooden walkway falling away. It also coincided with another ball hitting the aft end of the ship. That was followed a pair of sharp sounds that she quickly recognized. "MY GOD, they have guns too?" She prayed the damn thing was a flint lock meaning they couldn't afford for their guns to get wet.

"There are three dozen or more headed this way," Kate warned them which had Guri getting them all down the steps into the triangle area. It meant there were three entrances to guard, but all of them were narrow, meaning they would have to come at them one by one.

"You **Stoneskin**." Guri pointed at Rick while she pulled out a **Wand of Invisibility-Greater**. "This will keep you invisible even after you attack, giving you an advantage. However it will only last for about five minutes, no longer." Guri touched each of them after Rick did. " **Elemental Gems** ," Kate called out and soon everyone had one in their off hand save for Javi, who had a sword in each hand. Javi took left with Rick behind him. Guri took center with Jenny right behind her while Kate and Lanie took the last entrance with Kate out in front. Kevin who needed room for his whip took center behind everyone and could help whoever needed it most. Javi and Rick were first to see anyone. They couldn't see past the first three due to the curve of the tunnel.

Javi did what he could to take a leg off the first one, hitting him four straight times after activating his **B** **oots**. He didn't succeed but he did get him to start bleeding badly and screaming loudly followed by Rick throwing his **Fire Elemental Gem** , which promptly attacked the one behind the one Javi attacked.

Guri pulled out her sword and waited with Jenny holding a **G** **em** in each hand, while Kate and Lanie did the same. Guri and Jenny didn't have long to wait as one after another came into view. Guri swung at the first one and was rewarded with his left arm being cut off as he bled profusely. Jenny threw her **Air Elemental Gem** that immediately attacked the one behind the one with one arm and turned into a tornado.

"Get ready Lanie," Kate called softly then began spinning her **S** **taff**. She was soon rewarded with seeing the first of three reach her. A quick use of her **S** **taff** and she had him flat on his back followed by a dagger going straight into his neck. Lanie threw her **G** **em** which hit the rock wall and broke, unleashing her **Fire Elemental** , who immediately attacked the next one in line.

Each of their **Elementals** died far too quickly, so Rick, Jenny, and Lanie threw another, not leaving them with many. Javi, Guri and Kate had no trouble killing the one that stepped past the dead **Elemental**. They could only keep this up one more time. Javi blew his **H** **orn** and got four human barbarians that were in the middle of a group of them and started attacking, heedless of the odds and damage they started taking. It did mean that the next few to reach Javi were already damaged and died easily enough. Guri and Kate, however, had their hands full. While neither of them had been hit yet, they were being pushed back a step by the sheer number they were fighting. Kevin spent most of his time helping Kate and Guri. Lanie was busy casting _Summon Monster III._ However none of them lasted very long being completely surrounded. Still the more damage they did the less Kate had to do to kill them.

Rick soon felt the back of Jenny, who in turn felt the back of Kevin who had to keep his distance in order to use his whip, as they were pushed back from the assault. By now even though invisible, Javi and Kate were starting to take damage. Lanie, who was paying attention, had her **Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds** in hand and touched anyone she could manage to touch, invisible as they all were.

Guri was suddenly worried when a beautiful Half-elf-Half-Dragon appeared, casting a spell. She watched as a storm appeared over their heads, then hail the size of grapefruit fell, hurting everyone. She watched her smile and start casting again.

Lanie was touching everyone as fast as she could with her **W** **and**. Guri watched a small red ball fly past her and blow up in the middle of them, scorching them badly. Guri, Javi, and Kate were still dropping them and watched as the ones behind them pulled the dead bodies out from the area.

Guri got Rick's attention. She pointed out the lady who was casting yet again. So Rick started casting his own spell. Javi killed his next one as did Guri and Kate though Lanie wasn't keeping up just as Jenny used five charges on her gem on the ones in front of Guri but was rewarded with only seeing one go blind based on his actions.

She had finished her spell just ahead of Rick's spell as Guri saw a _Lightning Bolt_ fly over her head snapping every which way. Just as it looked like it was going to fly right past her, it blasted her right in the chest causing her to cry out in pain. Jenny was the next one to cry out as she was lifted up, spinning in place. A huge spider they hadn't seen before was on the ceiling, wrapping up Jenny in a cocoon of web. Rick decided to risk it and cast _Burning Hands_ on Jenny which burned away the web and she fell to the floor, but it also hurt her a little. However she was free. Problem was just after Rick did that another spider similar to it appeared on the ceiling and they both started casting a web that would allow them both to lower themselves down into the middle of them.

However it was Kate screaming that got Lanie and Rick to turn her direction as they watched her fall to the ground. Another elf/dragon hybrid stepped up and in one swift and strong swing, hacked off her left leg just above the knee.

The spiders were almost on the ground, Kate was done and going to die soon. Jenny was likely going to soon follow. And Rick was hurting badly. Only Kevin who had managed to keep his distance and Guri were in the best shape out of all of them, including Lanie.

Suddenly a _Wall of Fire_ manifested, cutting Rick off from Kate and Guri. He was right in the middle of it, causing him to step back out of it taking a little damage, not that he had much life left in him. He knew perfectly well why his robes weren't helping him resist these spells. The spell had to be aimed directly at him to gain the robe's benefit. Thus far, all of the spells had been area effect spells, meaning he was affected by them. Guri knew this as well.

Suddenly Rick couldn't see her anymore and could only see Javi still fighting and the three half-elf-half-dragons that were in the left corridor/tunnel. He was out of **G** **ems** but not out of spells, so he cast his last _Lightning Bolt_ and hit the one behind the one Javi was attacking, making it easy for Javi to kill him after killing his.

Unfortunately there were another three right behind them. Then Rick took a unlucky bolt to the chest from a crossbow that had him falling and starting to die. His last thought was of Kate and their unborn baby that would never be.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

He slowly opened his eyes, sucked in a quick breath, and suddenly sat up which made his world spin, making him feel sick. "Easy Rick, just relax." Guri pushed him back down. "Guri?" Rick tried to make sense of it all. "Are we dead?" He watched her shake her head. "Captured? _Where's Kate!?"_ He started to get back up again. "Kate is fine, she is right over there." And she pointed to her lying on the stone floor. "Her **Ring of Regeneration** , which was a wise purchase, is already starting to regrow her leg. She will be fine. Right now she is sleeping peacefully," Guri reassured him.

"What happened, where are the others?" Rick was filled with questions. "Jenny and Kevin are being attended to, as are Lanie and Javi. You were near death so you are still hurting the most. As to what happened..." Guri was interrupted when Lanie stepped into the room, looking as good as new. Right behind her was a handsome male Elf. He was dressed colorfully; even his skin had a look of greenish-blue scales. "How is he?" Lanie knelt down on the floor to look him over. "He is alive, a little disoriented, but he will live. I will leave you to him and go check on the others." Guri stood up and bowed to the Elf and exited the room.

"You and Kate had us scared," Lanie commented, looking him over for any wounds. "I am grateful that you will live. My apologies, I am Prince Elwin Petbanise. My father is the King of our kingdom. We lost a number of our people while outside of our underwater city and traced them to this place. However it was guarded by a huge Black Dragon along with the half aquatic elf-half black dragons. Worse, they had a ship that was attacking our allies on the surface, destroying their villages and towns. Their weapons were new to us and very powerful. A squad of my men followed their powerful ship here and found that their base was under attack by surface dwellers. I ordered a strike group to attack their ship while it was undermanned. It would appear that this forced their leader's hand who withdrew from attacking you to try and rescue her ship," Elwin explained.

"Then his men and women found us, giving me just enough time to heal your wounds. But we felt it best to let you rest," Lanie said. "We owe you and your people a lot. Without your attack we might never have defeated their ship; it is heavily manned and unstoppable," Elwin said gratefully.

Rick turned his head to look at Kate. "Kate's fine as is the baby. Twenty-four hours from now, she'll be up and walking around like nothing ever happened," Lanie reassured him. "Javi and Kev are helping our new friends look over their huge ship while Jenny's resting comfortably just outside," she added.

"We are told this Kate," he turned to look at her, "knows something about the weapons that are on this ship. We would be grateful if she would talk to us and our builders so we can understand how they work. Once you are all up, we will escort you down to our city." Rick looked apprehensive and he knew it. "Your friend Guri has explained the mirror and how it works. I am aware you are not from this world and it speaks well of you that you came to our world to help. We will bring the mirror with us so you can leave once we have thanked you properly. My father will likely want to hear much about this person called Lolth," Elwin said. "I will leave you to rest. I need to see to our own injured and dead." He began to leave then stopped. "Oh, and Guri has shown us where our people were being held; they are already freed and on their way home," he added and finally left.

"We were dead," Rick said to Lanie and looked over at Kate again. "Almost Rick, almost. If not for them, we would all be. This mirror trip almost killed us," Lanie stated emotionally. "They may think they owe us, but it's we who owe them," she remarked.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate had her arms wrapped around Rick. "I thought I was dead, that we were all dead. I'm so sorry babe, so very sorry. I almost got our baby killed." Kate wiped her tears. "Kate?" Rick was shaking his head. "No babe, I did. I knew I was pregnant and yet I came anyway. I told myself you needed me here, so I did. ...I'm so sorry." Kate buried her face into his chest, weeping, and let him hold her.

"Ready to go?" Lanie interrupted them. Kate wiped her tears quickly before letting go of Rick. Their saviors had control of the mirror, so following them to their city was a no brainer. Kate took a deep breath, unsure of what was to come. "Yeah." And arm in arm, the two of them followed Lanie.

"I hate water," Jenny whispered. "I'll be right here, we all will," Kevin said, trying to give her some of his strength. All of them were in the water as they watched the Aquatic Elves carry their mirror out into the ocean and then down. The ocean was their natural environment and several of them were far out in front. Carrying the mirror was the only thing slowing them down. They also had a lot of Elves around it, guarding it.

Kate and the rest of them were slow in this environment, however no one said anything. They just kept swimming deeper and deeper. They all saw aquatic animals circling around them but never coming too close. It was soon dark, so dark that they barely saw anything till suddenly the Elves activated lights on each of them and lit up the area around them. Still they kept swimming, going deeper. It was because of the lights that they knew that they were now in an extremely deep trench as they swam down the length of it.

After a long time, they eventually started seeing lights in the distance. Once it came into view they could make out a massive crown, part dome-like structure that was well lit all around it. On either side, in the walls of the trench they were in, were also a number of smaller domes. As they got closer they could see Elves and animals swimming all over the place, going or coming from one place to another. They, however, headed straight for the large dome in the middle. When they got close enough, the word dome wasn't right. It had a massive solid top that was well lit up. It had five enormous columns on the outside holding it up which in turn were well lit. The floor beneath it was filled with buildings. Soon they were under it and headed for the building in the center. They watched as the mirror went one way and they went another.

They were finally inside; it was actually dry and had fresh, breathable air. "They took our mirror somewhere else," Rick pointed out, not that Guri seemed to be overly concerned even if the others were.

Eventually Prince Elwin showed up. "Follow me please," he asked them. He was all alone, not a guard in sight. It was enough to get them to follow him. What they soon found was a large room filled with Aquatic Elves. However they also saw two things. One was the mirror to get them home and the other was Yuri in his Cloud Giant form. "Father?" Guri said, quite surprised. Finding him here was not what she was expecting. "Guri!" He was happy to see her and enveloped her in a hug. "I am pleased to see you." Yuri kissed her head; it was something she wasn't used to. Her father was not usually so emotional.

 **It is now hours later:**

They were all standing in front of the mirror, though Yuri was gone. The Elves had given them two magical items for what they had done. **Trident of Warning** \- It allowed the user to determine the location, depth, kind, and number of aquatic predators within 680 feet. Otherwise it was a simple magical trident weapon.

The other was **Map of Unseen Lands** \- It allowed the reader to have the sheet of parchment redraw itself for the immediate area. It would draw everything within a 16-mile radius with total accuracy. First would be general terrain (mountains, rivers, and so forth). Structures of more than 5,000 square feet (castles, temples, ruins) with each being named, either specifically or generally. Next was structures important for travel. (bridges, dungeon entrances, magic portals). Finally it showed the lairs of creatures with great power and labeled as to what creature it was. (dragon, troll, etc.)

"I will not be returning with you. Father has asked me to stay and be a liaison between our world and this one. He believes that these people can be great friends and allies," Guri informed them. "Guri!" Kate was shocked and wanted her to come home with them. She couldn't stop herself from hugging her. "Come home before the baby's born or maybe right after, please?" Kate asked her. "You will still see me. I have been assured I will have unhindered access to the mirror and I will be happy to see your baby," Guri told her. "I trust that you plan on staying in our world?" she asked. "I want to, yes. Katherine has indicated that she wants to stay in mine. One more change, then the next change of places will be our last," Kate confirmed. "I am happy for you." She felt like Kate was a friend. "Try to keep an open mind. There has to be someone for you. Maybe he's here on this world, down here or up there," Kate said, hopeful for her. "I will try," Guri said since she did want to try.

Each said their good byes then stepped through the mirror and soon found themselves back home. "HOME!" Kate spun in place, happy to be there. "Shower," Jenny announced as she grabbed Kevin and took him upstairs. "A shower sounds nice." Lanie took hold of Javi's arm and dragged him upstairs.

Kate wrapped her arms around Rick. "No more adventures Kate, I'm not letting you risk the baby," Rick informed her. Fearing she had died and taken their baby with her had been on his mind since it happened. She shook her head. "No more adventures until at least after the baby is born," she promised, then buried herself into his chest.

Showered and dressed, Kate was downstairs in the morning cooking breakfast right up until she ran for the closest bathroom and emptied her already empty stomach. She took out the jar Guri had given her and swallowed the pill with her drink. "You alright?" Rick asked her and wrapped his arms around her. "Just morning sickness, hopefully what Guri gave me will help or you guys are going to have to learn how to cook." Kate started giggling at the look on Rick's face.

After a breakfast that Kate barely touched since her stomach was still being uncooperative, Rick opened up the **Portable Hole** and they started pulling out what they had found. They had a total of 145,667 in gold pieces. Between copper, silver, gold, platinum pieces, and gems. None of which were all that memorable. Not like that one emerald and those diamonds from earlier.

Magic item were as follows:

 **Plate Armor of the Deep** \- It was lightly magical armor that allowed the wearer to breathe underwater and greatly improved their ability to swim as well as permanent _Tongues and Comprehend Languages_ for any animal or creature that could breathe water. - 24,650 gold pieces.

 **Trident of Warning** \- They didn't want it so it went in the "to sell" pile. - 10,115 gold pieces.

 **Oath Bow** \- It was mildly magical in that it would give benefits only if the archer swore to it that he or she would kill the enemy targeted using it. If he or she did, it would double any damage done to that target until it was killed. Once a target was selected, another target could not be shot at as the bow would refuse to work properly. - 26,600 gold pieces.

 **Absorbing Shield** \- Twice a day this lightly magical shield would, on command, disintegrate any object that touched it. Any weapon, magical or not, ran the risk of being turned to dust if it struck the shield after the command word was used. - Lanie claimed it and sold her old one - 50,170 gold pieces.

 **Arrow of Slaying - Ooze**. Possibly instantly slay dead any Ooze creature that was hit. - 4,057 gold pieces - Javi was happy to take this item and add it to his quiver.

Overall, after selling what they didn't want, each of them gained 32,819 gold pieces plus a few silvers and a couple coppers.

They waited a month so that they had spices to sell which gained each of them another 5,200 gold pieces this time, based on the spices they had selected and what the buyer was willing to pay.

They each bought two **Elemental Gems** even if they didn't appear to be that helpful anymore, along with another load of food, hay, oats, and lots and lots of dog food this time, since Storm's puppies were up and exploring. That was till they tried to get out the front door which was where Dapper turned them around.

Kate was guessing she was three months along and had the tiniest of bumps. She laughed each time Rick put his lips on her exposed belly and talked to their unborn baby.

Kate was doing better and Guri's pills usually helped but not always. Then Kevin announced that he had asked Jenny to marry him and she had accepted. "That's GREAT!" Kate hugged her tight followed by Lanie doing the same. "I'm also pretty sure I'm pregnant. We think," Jenny added. She was only a month late so it wasn't a certainty but it was likely. "That's still great," Kate assured her and hugged her again only to be hugged by Lanie again while Rick and Javi congratulated Kevin. Now Kate and Jenny were looking at Lanie.

"What are you looking at me for? I'm not pregnant," Lanie said. "I'm _not_ pregnant!" Lanie said again, rather forcefully. "Better hurry up Lanie before we use up all of Guri's morning sickness pills." Kate decided maybe a threat would get them going. The four of them laughed at the looks on Lanie and Javi's faces.


	62. Chapter 62

**K and K 62**

It had been four very long months. Rachel had finally relented and let Rick go out, so long as she went with him. "I can't think of anyone I would rather have with me wherever I go." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She was still living in the loft and they had even driven to the Hamptons to stay in his house on the beach. Alexis had been true to her word and had signed over the home back to Rick. To make his lawyer happy and the IRS, he had been forced to pay his daughter $100,000 to purchase his own home. It grated on him a bit but Rachel had kissed him out of his bad mood.

They had also stopped to pick up more of her clothes and a few knickknacks to place in the loft. It left very little in her little home in the Hamptons and Rachel wasn't missing it.

It was late at night and the two of them were in swim suits out on the beach just outside of the house, enjoying what little view they could see in the dark and their time with each other. Rick's kisses and hands were slowly winding her up as she returned his kisses and placed a hand on the outside of his suit, on top of his growing erection.

Her top fell away suddenly and she could feel Rick's hand on her bare breast. "Take me inside?" Rachel asked him. She wanted him, just not out on the sand. "Sex on the breach," he murmured, then leaned down to suckle her nipple. It immediately began responding to his administrations. The bottom half of her swimsuit was also getting wet and it wasn't because of the ocean water. "I _really_ don't want sand getting into places it shouldn't." She tried to get him to see it from her point of view. Rick, however, thought up a compromise. "How about doggie style?" He nipped her nipple and placed a hand on her wet core. "Deal," she told him since she had to have him inside her _...NOW!_ He slipped her bottoms off followed by his own, while Rachel got on her hands and knees. "RICK ...PLEASE!" He was taking too long.

Rachel was lying on top of Rick after climaxing twice with him inside her, feeling him climax inside her both times. She was on the pill so she wasn't that worried, however she didn't want to do that too many times. "Rick?" It was now or never. "I want to move what's left out of my house and move in with you, what do you think?" She waited for what he would say. "You've _already_ moved in and I want you there," he assured her. "I was thinking about selling the house and move in completely." Rachel stopped breathing and thought sure her heart had stopped beating while she waited for him to say something, anything.

Rick sat up which forced Rachel on her knees. He looked at her and all she saw was love. "We'll call someone in the morning to move what you want to keep and make room for any of it or all of it. You're sure about this?" He knew she had left DC and didn't want to be in New York City for the same reason. It was why she was in the Hamptons. "I'm sure," she told him and waited. He kissed her, searching her mouth with his tongue. Rachel broke from the kiss and rested her forehead against his. "I'm falling in love with you, my sometimes stupid man-child and sometimes amazing man," she said softly. They were just the words Rick had been too scared to tell her, however since she had gone first... "I love you and want you in the loft to stay." What he'd just said took her breath away. "Rick?" Had he just suggested what she thought he had? Did she want to hear those words no one had ever asked her?

"We can find Mother her own apartment," Rick teased which earned him a swat from Rachel. "She can stay Rick, I don't mind. It's actually kinda nice having her around." She liked Martha. "Speak for yourself," he teased again, getting a glare from her. He kissed her to take the look off her face. "Inside Rick." She wanted another round, just not on her hands and knees again.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Her little house in the Hamptons was now empty of everything she had wanted to keep. Most of the furniture was staying since it didn't fit in the beauty of the loft. Her stuff just wasn't as nice as his. It also had a _'For Rent'_ sign out in front of it. Rick had talked her into keeping it, renting it out. She owned it outright so any rent was actually extra income. They were standing out front of it. "Lunch?" he asked her. Rachel held out her hand. "Only if I'm driving." She smiled, knowing full well that they had driven there in his Ferrari that Alexis had also sold back to him. The fate of the other two cars was still up for debate. He moaned but he was getting what he wanted and had a place in mind in New York to go shopping at when they got back.

Rachel was testing the torque of the Ferrari on the way to lunch. She selected a seafood eatery near the beach where they could sit outside on the restaurant's patio. She kept her eye on Rick while eating since she saw a sparkle in his eye. He was up to something, or at least he was thinking of something. "You're thinking awfully loudly over there," she commented, wondering if she could get him to talk, which sometimes didn't take much. Rubbing her foot up against the side of his leg caused him to jump and glare at her while she just smiled. "I'm not thinking anything," he countered, trying not to give anything away. He was spared from having to say anything when they were surprised by a man who dragged a chair over to their table and sat down, setting his drink on their table.

Rachel knew she was still walking around with Jackson's weapon, even though without her AG's departmental badge, she didn't automatically have a concealed weapon permit. She wondered if she had the time to reach it before he did. "Who the hell are you?" She made it quite plain that his presence was unwanted. He just smiled and placed both of his hands on his drink. Rachel looked him over and could tell if he wanted, he could over power her by strength alone. He looked like he'd been in a knife fight at some point. His face had scars across the front of it. "Relax, I'm unarmed and alone," he said, not that that got Rachel to relax any.

"My name is Mike." He offered his hand to Rachel who didn't take it and then to Rick who did the same since Rachel hadn't. Not looking offended, he put his hand back around his drink. "I'm a friend of Jackson Hunt," he informed them and saw Rachel quickly reach behind her back which had him raising his hands. "I'm only hear to talk and you're likely going to want to listen," he advised them. She slowly moved her hand back around in front of her. "I'm listening," she told him.

"After Jack's failed attempt at taking you, and finding out just who you are, he decided that Katherine was involved somehow, so we picked up both of them for questioning." Mike stopped when he saw the incredible look of fury on Rick's face. _"You took my daughter!"_ Rick rumbled out and was ready to take him apart, even if he was overmatched. "Alexis was unharmed and, except for being held, she was treated with kid gloves. Not really sure how, but Katherine managed to escape her bonds. It was around that time that I got this." He ran a finger down his face. "My vision in this eye still isn't that good and I've been warned it will likely never get much better. Jack, however, was severely damaged. He's had his entire left shoulder joint replaced along with some bone and will likely get to keep the arm," he told them.

Rachel still had questions about Katherine and now she had even more. Her friend's digging hadn't exposed any new information. She was still a mystery, however she was devoted to Alexis and since Rachel, who was in love with Rick, hadn't pressed the matter. This news may change that.

"Jack really did ID your dead body in Paris. It was the first time since I've known him that I ever saw him cry. He may not be the prototypical loving father, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you, doesn't care about you. He had a friend do your DNA test to confirm it really was you. You're dead. ...And yet you aren't," Mike stated. "You got your test results back," Rachel said, remembering the kid that had shown up to take samples from Rick. He nodded. "We gave it to the very same guy as last time and sent it to another agency for confirmation. He doesn't know how, but he came up with the same result. You're not dead and yet you are." He would love to hear an explanation for this, but that's not what he was here for.

"So you admit that Rick is alive?" Rachel wanted to hear it. "It's a mystery, but yes, Richard Castle is alive and returned from the land of the dead. Myself, I would love to hear what he knows about what's on the other side." Mike didn't expect an answer and yet Rick gave him one. "Nothing, there was nothing. I remember nothing. I remember going to the theater and then I remember being in the loft but nothing in-between. Not how I survived, how I lived, how I got to New York, or even why I came to New York." Rick told a partial truth. He didn't remember anything even though he actually had been dead. That alone had kept him up nights for a while.

"Pity, I would really like to know. I suppose maybe some things should just remain a mystery." Mike really was disappointed. In his line of work, well, what had been his line of work, he faced death several times and wondered if there was actually an after. Now he had someone right in front of him and didn't get an answer.

Mike took a card out of his chest pocket and slid it across to Rick. "This is Jackson's number. Call him, tear it up and never call him. Your choice. ...In his defense, you were dead in his eyes. Jack had verification and it broke something inside him. He may act stoic most of the time, but there is still a soft side hidden away. Suddenly there was a fake passing himself off as his dead son. What would you do if the places were reversed and it was Alexis instead?" He defended his friend. He didn't wait for an answer. "We are both presently satisfied that it really is you, even if we don't understand how."

"You're going to leave Rick alone?" Rachel questioned, somewhat skeptical. "Yes. How much interaction Rick has with his father is now in his hands. Thanks to our injuries, we are both now out of the Agency. Jack has done a lot of good, things none of you will ever learn about. Our jobs may not be how you would live your lives and maybe you think we sacrificed too much, but what we did was needed."

"We're both retired now. I bought a few thousand acres and plan to start my own ranch. Perhaps a few years from now, your daughter will visit and enjoy riding around on a horse, an ATV, living a day out on the range eating out of a cook wagon, sitting around a real campfire. Anything's possible." Mike had been saving his money and the Agency had given him a nice Golden Parachute that allowed him to live his dream.

"Jack has his own little place and has a plan. Call him and ask him what it is. ...He does love you. Maybe he's not the father you want, but knowing you were dead did hurt him. That love is why he did what he did. Think it over." Mike tapped the card that was still in front of Rick and got up taking his drink with him. He walked away, not looking back.

Rachel looked at Rick and started to worry. If he believed Mike, it meant no one was trying to kill him anymore. He didn't need her to protect him. He picked up the card and held it in both hands, ready to rip it into tiny pieces. Then he slowly placed it in his pocket. He would put it in his safe and take it out if, or when, he was ready to call it. "Can we go home now?" Rick asked her softly. He was worried that now that someone wasn't trying to kill him, she would change her mind and move back into her home. Rachel started breathing again and smiled at him. "I'd like that." Rick smiled back at her.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis came home from school and found her dad and Rachel at the breakfast bar. "Hi guys, anything happen today?" she asked as she hugged her dad and gave Rachel a quick fake kiss to her cheek. "We spent the days looking at homes in the area actually," Rick told her. "Homes!?" Alexis was shocked. "You're moving?" Granted, the loft was a little small for two couples and Martha, but they had been trying to make it work.

"I thought you and Katherine could use the space. It means we would have a mortgage, but my new book is coming out soon and I've actually gotten a good start on the next one. So long as this one sells well, we should be able to afford it. What my mother wants to do..." Rick trailed off.

"Why?" Alexis wanted a reason for this sudden change. She watched as Rachel held her left hand up, smiling with joy. She grabbed Rachel's hand. _"DAD PROPOSED!?"_ She started smiling, a little shocked, but happy for them. "And you said yes." She stated the obvious. "We're not getting married just yet and not this year, but yeah, I said yes." Rachel was still smiling and smiled even wider when she found herself in Alexis's arms being hugged. "Do _not_ screw this one up Dad," she warned him. Rick looked shocked. "Moi?" He pointed at himself. "Yes, you. Please grow up dad, at least enough to keep this one," she pleaded with him. "He's still a bit of a child Alexis, but he's getting better," Rachel said, answering for him. "And you'll notice he's not dead on his feet," Rachel smiled, giving her a hint.

Alexis had to think about that one. "You went to the gym again today," she said softly. "Four hours worth," Rick stated proudly as he sat up straighter since his body wasn't fighting back anymore. He was still waiting for that six straight hours of sex Rachel had teased him about, but he was getting closer. She hugged her dad. "That's so great!" She was actually impressed. How Rachel got him to do what he obviously didn't want to do escaped her, but she was glad that she had. She also watched Rachel give him a quick kiss for all his efforts to get this far.

"We're going to celebrate by eating out tonight. You two want to come with us?" Rachel asked her. "I swear you won't be interrupting or intruding on anything," she told her, not wanting to get between her and her dad. "Thanks, but Kat and I need to plan our next trip to the construction site to see how things are going. The first of the skeleton pieces for the mountain is supposed to show up soon. They're being constructed in sections off site and towed on a barge to the island where a big crane will lift them into place. The first windmill's supposed to go up soon also. Still over a year to go but they're making progress."

Alexis and Katherine had been getting weekly updates from their architect. They had one general contractor whose only job appeared to be to keep everyone and everything on schedule. They presently had one company working on the mountain, another working on the windmills, one was still dropping stones around the outer edge, and yet another was working on the dock area and building a boat lift for their commuter boats since he had the dimensions for both of them.

Even their long distance yacht had arrived and was parked just inside while the workers would park along side and cross over her to get to the walkway to reach the bridge over to the island. With so many people working at one time, there was a lot of that since getting there by boat was just about the only feasible way to get there.

It took a little work, but they had found a boat that functioned like a food truck that went out to the island three times a week and offered hot meals for an inexpensive price that was offset by what Alexis and Katherine were paying for them to do this. It varied each week based on how many took advantage of the service, but the general contractor had said it was popular with the workers. Which made him happy and them, too.

"So where are you looking? Dad works from home and I know you work from home." Alexis said, interested in what they were thinking. "We're thinking of a real home outside of town. Right now we're looking in the upper New York City area. Not too big, but with enough land that we can't see the neighbors," Rick told her. _'A REAL home!?'_ That left Alexis with another question. "Is there something else you want to tell me?" She looked sideways at her dad and then glared at Rachel. Rachel laughed since she was quick. Rachel placed a hand on her stomach. "No, there's no extra passenger. Doesn't mean we're not trying though. It's getting kind of late for both of us, so it may not happen." Rachel was still torn about wishing that she was pregnant, and if she didn't want to be pregnant. Until Rick, wanting a child had never been a part of her life. In fact if she was still with the AG's office, she wouldn't even be thinking about it. "Are you good with this pumpkin?" Rick really did care what she thought as did Rachel.

"A baby brother or sister? Are you kidding? ...Twins, you need twins!" Alexis poked Rachel to emphasize her point. "OH GOD, NO!" Rachel responded. She was still having trouble with just the thought of one, let alone two. "NO!" She pointed at Rick. "Absolutely not." She didn't want him to even think it, but saw by the look on his face that it was already too late. She turned to glare at what would some day be her step-daughter for putting that thought in his head. Now he was going to be impossible.

Then the front door opened and Katherine entered, getting home from her classes. Alexis was taking veterinary medicine classes while Katherine was taking the prerequisite classes that Kate had taken, but she hadn't. "Sorry, finding a taxi turned out to be a chore today." She still refused to use public transportation. Together they had decided to go back to New York and attend classes. Finding a good place to live in Copenhagen had been just too much trouble, so they would wait until their place was done, then move their school credits and go to school there. But that was almost two years from now.

Katherine dropped her bag, strode up to Alexis, and gave her a quick kiss. "Have I missed something?" There was something going on, she just knew it. She had already heard about that day in the Hamptons with Mike. Alexis grabbed Rachel's hand and held it up. "Dad proposed." Alexis was smiling. "YES!" Katherine launched her hands up in the air and hugged Rachel. "This is great, obviously you said yes."

"They're also thinking of moving out," Alexis added. "Move, why?" Katherine was beginning to think Rick was finally coming over to their side. Granted, it was a little tight in the loft, but they were family to her. "It's not you Katherine, I swear. We're just thinking it would be nice to have our own place. You two are building yours," Rick answered. Katherine thought that made at least a little sense. "Okay, where?" Were they thinking of a different country also? "Not far actually. About an hour or so north of here is where we're presently looking," Rachel replied. Okay, so they weren't going far. She knew Rachel was having a problem with the big city much like she did. "Let me know if you need any help." Katherine accepted that they were moving. "Good! We could use both of your thoughts on a couple of locations we've found online." Rachel grabbed the laptop and opened it, showing them the first one.

" **4 Sackett Landing, Rye, NY 10580**. 4,686 square feet with four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and one half bathroom on 1.5 acres," Rachel told them and began showing the pictures. It was on a large lot all alone and not that far from the water. "It looks a little swampy on the edge," Alexis cautioned.

"We were thinking of adding a concrete dock all the way out to deep water. That way we could get a boat," Rick explained, smiling. Rachel went back to showing the pictures. The entry looked nice with all that wood. "WOW!" The picture of the living room showed up. "I love that wood coffered ceiling and all the windows," Alexis enthused, getting Katherine to nod.

"Just one picture of the kitchen? What are they trying to hide?" Alexis didn't like that part. Fixing a kitchen they didn't like could cost thousands. "STOP!" Katherine said. "That sort of reminds me of our master bedroom," Katherine commented, looking at the massive wood ceiling, light wood floors with lots of windows. "It has a nice view off of the deck," Alexis added as the pictures kept coming. "What's the cost?" Alexis asked and Rachel showed her. "$7.25 million? Are you sure you can afford this Dad?" She knew he had a $2 million advance for his next book. "It will be a bit of a stretch, even for both of us. But with you and Katherine moving eventually, I can sell the loft and pay off the mortgage ahead of schedule." It made sense to Alexis.

" **15 Shore Road, Rye, NY 10580**. 5,872 square feet, five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and one half bathroom on 0.9 acres." Rachel started showing them the pictures. "Another home on the water," Alexis remarked. "The entry isn't as nice." It looked a little plain to her. "The living room is nice enough, lots of windows." Alexis still wasn't as impressed with this one. "STOP!" Katherine said again.

It had light wood floors with windows filling three walls entirely, even the ceiling was all glass. There was a wood stove up against the far wall of windows. Katherine could just imagine what she could do with this room. All the plants she could fill it with.

"Just one picture of the kitchen again? And is that a peninsula closing you off to the rest of the kitchen?" Alexis wasn't a fan. "Are the double ovens on the side wall next to the refrigerator? What happens if you open the refrigerator too fast? Break the glass on one of the ovens?" Alexis definitely wasn't a fan and what was with the only light being on the ceiling?

"Looks like the landscaping needs a lot of work," Katherine mentioned. There was an abandoned outdoor fireplace with concrete and weeds everywhere. "The outside does need some work," Rachel admitted. $4.5 million. "At least it costs less," Alexis commented.

"What are you going to do with all that space?" Though Katherine shut up, considering just how much space they were going to have, so she shouldn't be talking. Rachel, however, placed a hand on her stomach thinking about the future. A future she had given up on long ago. But Katherine had seen it. "Are you..." She lit up, happy for them. "No, I'm not pregnant." Rachel knew just what she was thinking. "Not yet." Rick was smiling while Rachel shook her head. Five bedrooms meant a lot of kids, though their home was going to have five bedrooms also. She really needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut. "We still need to actually go look at them while continuing to look at others," Rachel said.

"Personally, I vote for the first one. Just make sure you can afford it," Alexis warned them since she had found out that the loft was only a little more expensive. It had a lot less space for a lot more money.


	63. Chapter 63

**K and K 63**

 **It has been four months:**

Kate was cooking again, only this time she was enjoying cooking. It meant she could satisfy her own cravings and boy, did she have them. She was also seven months pregnant or so, she was guessing. She was getting big and would be bigger still.

There was only one flaw to this world and its level of technology. It was up to her to eat properly, plus there was no way to find out the sex of her baby. She wasn't going to get any pictures of him or her while in her womb. Kate suddenly placed a hand on her stomach. "Take it easy will you? I like my organs where they are." When he or she moved, they _really_ moved. "I'll feed you in a minute." Kate continued to rub her belly while using her other hand to stir. "Something smells good." A slightly less pregnant Jenny came down the stairs, sniffing. Her cravings weren't as bad as Kate's, but she was having them. "I'll be done in about five minutes, you want to yell for the others? I think they're all downstairs playing with the puppies."

Storm's puppies were growing fast, and even Dapper couldn't keep up with them now. They were escaping the stable with relative ease. Though it helped when one of them acted as a decoy, allowing the others to escape. They left it to Storm, Dapper, and Mongo to chase them down. Kate had named the guard dog because when it came to brains, Mongo was really simple. He did his job well, you just had to KISS him. ( **K** eep **I** t **S** imple **S** tupid).

"On it." Jenny walked over to the stairs, looked down and didn't see anyone, but they could be anywhere since they still had six horses and seven pack mules. They had used the **Lyre of Building** yet again to expand their storage above the stalls in the stables. They had to add ladders to reach it since they didn't have the extra floor space. They also added a crane-like device at each ladder to get the bails of hay up into storage with.

" **DINNER!"** Jenny yelled down. "Be right up babe!" Kevin yelled back. Jenny helped Kate set the table as she placed another two in-dish meals on the table just as everyone showed up. "Go wash you four, and I don't want to know what you all have been touching," Kate told them, then saw them split up and head for bathrooms.

They were almost done eating when it sounded like every wolf and dog in the place went nuts. Javi and Kevin were first down the stairs, followed by Rick, while Lanie stayed to guard the pregnant ladies. The women were soon surprised when Yuri, in Elf form, came up the stairs. "Something smells good. Guri told me you were a good cook." Yuri, who was normally stoic and a little cold, looked happy for some reason. "We've finished, but you are quite welcome to eat. Let me get you a serving," Kate offered. "I'll get it, just sit and rest." Rick beat her to the kitchen. "This one is called Arroz Con-Pollo. It's chicken, onion, garlic, tomato, bay leaves, rice, and green olives," she explained. "Believe me, it's delicious," Javi enthused since he ate most of it himself, or so it seemed to the rest of them. "I hear some of your spices in it," Yuri smiled. "A little, along with some of our own vegetables, yes," she confirmed.

"This one is Irish Beef and Stout Stew. Beef naturally, dark beer, maybe a little more than is called for, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper, and peas. It's a favorite around here," Kate said. Yuri started in on the Irish Stew and was soon eating heartily. "I have another mission I want you to consider. I am aware Kate and Jenny will not be going, however, I am hoping you won't need them."

"There is a small Dwarven outpost in this mountain range on the far eastern tip. They have been under siege for what now appears to be weeks. They finally got a runner out and, and in a round about way, it reached my attention. What I want you four to do is go to this location on the far end of this mountain range and escort a cargo that is believed will allow them to defeat the enemy without your involvement. However, how much involvement you decide on is up to you. Just get the cargo there safely. You can expect resistance since this cargo has already failed to reach them twice," Yuri informed them.

"What can you tell us about who's attacking them?" Rick asked, knowing they were going to do it even without Kate and Jenny. Anything on or in their mountain had to be taken care of. "The enemy is an unknown. All that the messenger could tell us was that they attack in total magical darkness that cannot be penetrated by any known means. Your cargo is supposed to counter this darkness and will allow the Dwarves to attack and put an end to the problem." Yuri went back to eating, while it looked like his human friends were in a silent conversation with each other.

Yuri placed another **Bag of Holding** on the table. "Here is your payment of 50,000 gold pieces for the four of you. As always, anything you obtain from the enemy is yours to do with as you please. Deliver the cargo; anything you do after that is up to you."

"Two weeks to go to Silverymoon first, and how much time do we have to pick up our cargo?" Rick inquired. "Two weeks to the city is acceptable though you may be cutting it close. You will be required to go straight there from the city. You have three weeks to get there beginning tomorrow morning. Adjust your timing accordingly. You accept the mission?" Yuri queried. Rick saw a nod of heads from everyone, including Kate and Jenny. "It's happening in and on our mountain. No offense. So yes, we accept," Rick said. "No offense taken, I am simply sitting on this mountain, I can easily move to another. I will tell them to expect you in three weeks or less. ...This was really good," Yuri told Kate and stood to leave.

"Have you heard anything from Guri?" Kate called after him which got him to stop and turn toward her. "I am told she is dating someone, but she refuses to tell me who. He is in the city on the other side of the mirror. He is an Aquatic Elf and I have yet to meet him," Yuri said. "You don't seem upset at this news," she pointed out. "My daughter is too much like me. Stoic and hard-nosed and difficult to reach." She was all set to discount his claim, only to see him raise a hand. "I am quite aware of my faults. If my daughter does not follow my path and finds her own, I will be a happy father. Maybe I will even get a grandson or granddaughter or two out of it. A parent only wants to be proud of his children and see them happy." Yuri did however look a little sad for a moment.

"Still, I will tell Guri of your interest, and when I can convince her to bring her boyfriend home for dinner, I shall send each of you an invitation. I am sure you will succeed in this small mission. It is however an important position for this mountain range." Then Yuri left.

Kate started cleaning up when Rick stopped her. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid." She loved him, but he was being just a little too solicitous, almost smothering. However, Rick shook his head. "You didn't say much about being left behind," he remarked. "I'm pregnant, and I'm not risking our child on one of his missions, even if it _is_ in our mountain." Her belly prevented her from wrapping her arms around him anymore, so she simply placed her hands on his chest, buried her face in his chest, and smelled him, then let Rick hold her. "We are fucking our brains out tonight before you leave," Kate told him softly. Rick smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Kate and Jenny met their men downstairs as they mounted their horses. "Just come back babe. I'm not raising this baby alone." Kate gave his horse a smack on the rump, sending Rick off before he could counter and say anything.

Kate and Jenny watched till they couldn't see them any longer. "This is really going to suck," Jenny lamented. "Don't I know it, don't-I-know-it." Kate stayed in the stable while Jenny went upstairs to find something to do. Kate looked down at who was at her leg. "What do you think Dapper? Is this the life you dreamed about?" She reached down to scratch his ears. "It is mine, and it took a magical artifact in a world that doesn't believe in magic for it to happen. What are the odds of that?" She watched him sneeze twice. "Yeah, me neither."

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick led them straight to the Wizards Guilds. Since there were only four of them and they had just over 40,000 gold pieces to spend, he suggested leaving their horses in the city since they couldn't use them underground anyway. He also suggested they buy two _Phantom Steed_ scrolls. One to get there on and one to get home on. - 750 gold pieces for each of them to spend.

Rick found another spell that he wondered if it might be helpful. _Sunburst -_ A globe of direct sunlight explodes in an 80 foot radius causing damage to anyone who is looking at it (Think the affects of a nuclear bomb going off), and does considerable damage to anyone susceptible to sunlight, with any undead that is vulnerable to sunlight, does double damage. - 3,000 gold pieces each. Since Rick wasn't sure how useful it might be, he only bought two of them.

That very day they left their horses behind and paid the stabling fee four weeks in advance, hoping they would be back by then. Since they had been in a hurry, they hadn't loaded the mules and brought this month's spices into town to sell. "Kind of feels like old times with just the four of us." Lanie pointed out how they had started. Rick smiled. "It does, however I'd feel better if Kate and Jenny were here." Kate was the glue that held them together. Her Thief/Assassin skills from her world and natural leadership were going to be missed.

They read their scrolls and took off at incredible speed and started their mission for Yuri yet again.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine and Alexis looked up at the hollow frame of their mountain home. The concrete footings had several weeks ago been poured and the frame that looked a little naked reached up for the sky. Right now they were working on installing the steel floor joists or ceiling joists for the next floor depending on how you wanted to look at it.

"Winter's going to slow us down when it comes, which is why we've already started work on the swimming pool. We need the hole dug and the pool in, with the frame of the building around it under construction soon. If we can get it up fast enough and either the glass installed or encase it in a tarp, we can attempt to heat the space and keeping working all winter long. The mountain..." He wasn't so sure about that. "On the positive side, the last two windmills are on their way. And when they get here, we'll have the bases for them ready and can get them up. If we can get the wiring in the ground installed fast enough, we can heat the tunnels and the electricians can work on installing the battery backup along with all the control wiring."

"Come spring we'll hit it hard again, so don't expect much over winter, however we'll do what we can. I suggest you get your yacht winterized if it's staying," their general contractor advised. "Our architect is already on it. There should be someone out here in a week or two," Alexis told him which had him nodding his head. "Depending on what this year's winter hits us with, we're on schedule. Just don't expect it to stay that way. Mother Nature always wins." They thanked him for the quick tour and update and let him get back to work. They spent the rest of the day walking around looking at everything. They even bought something off of the lunch boat that announced itself.

"You're _sure_ you can make the mountain look like that picture?" Alexis thought that was a big problem. Katherine started shaking her head at Alexis's doubt. "Easy." Katherine knew what she was doing. "How are your classes?" Alexis inquired. Katherine sighed. "Hard actually, even with your help. I'm not sure how you do it. There's no way I'm going to keep an A average." Katherine was sure of it. "We'll lower your class load next semester, that should help," Alexis said. "Won't that slow me down even more?" She felt like she was already dragging down their dream. "Not if you trading years with Kate works. You have time." Alexis was convinced.

"How's your dad taking it?" Katherine wanted her opinion. "Dad sulked for days, long enough that it was pissing Rachel off. He's not used to the word no," Alexis admitted. Katherine nodded her head. It was a set back to his plans, that was for sure.

"Do you think..." Katherine trailed off and let the question hang. "I don't know, she won't confide in me. Even Dad's being mum, so if she is, she hasn't told him. Because if she had, Dad would hang a banner from the Empire State Building." That made Katherine chuckle. "And embarrass Rachel enough that she might actually hurt him." Alexis giggled at the thought. "She does love him Lex, despite his tendency to drive her nuts," Katherine said. "I know, and Dad loves her too. ...I still can't believe Gina, the nerve." Alexis changed the subject.

Gina had shown up at the loft and had tried to enforce her dad's old contract with Black Pawn before he was killed. Their lawyer was convinced that, since Rick had been officially declared dead, it had voided his contract with Black Pawn. The fact that he wasn't dead now didn't matter. They had all found out that the paper was wrong. Gina hadn't been fired. However, their lawyer dismissed her claim and he filed a counter claim against her and Black Pawn. If Gina and Black Pawn wanted to play hard ball, they would oblige them. Even Rick's new publisher had gotten in on the act. They weren't going to lose a successful author to another publisher if they could help it. They hadn't heard anything from Gina or Black Pawn since then.

"Have you given any consideration on when you want to use the next to last coin?" Alexis asked her. "Not much really. She asked for at least a year and I'm going to keep my word. As to when? ...Maybe a couple of months before classes next year. About nine months from now perhaps. Think that's long enough?" If her timing was off it could be bad. "If she's lucky, she's already pregnant or only just getting pregnant. Nine months from now might be cutting it close," Alexis remarked. "Next Christmas break then?" It was the next longest time off from school. "It doesn't give either of you much time in your original world, but maybe you don't need that much," Alexis said.

Katherine had made up her mind. The second classes were done next Christmas, she'd ask for time in her world only while school was out, and pray that was enough time for both of them. It would, however, mean she would be 26 if it worked instead of 25.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Stop pouting Rick, I've had enough of it. Grow up for Pete's sake. The rejection was almost a week ago, get over it." Rachel was ready to hit him or shoot him. "I really wanted that house for us. It's not my fault I was dead." He wasn't done pouting yet. "You don't even have all of the $2 million advance you got anymore, you've been spending it. Which is why I have control over our check book and all of your credit cards except for the one that has a limited amount on it." It was so he couldn't over spend or buy some childish stupid thing. The remote control helicopter had been her last straw.

"So we didn't get the loan. It was a lot of money Rick, and it was an expensive house," Rachel reminded him. "But you liked that house and I wanted you to have it." Rick leaned into Rachel so that his head was resting on her shoulder. while they sat on the sectional. "I did, it was a really nice house and we would have been happy there. But there will be other homes. Maybe next year we'll find the perfect one, just for us."

"I have to pee. Go start dinner and I'll help you. Where's Martha?" Rachel didn't see her leave. "Mother is out looking at apartments. She thought we were moving, too," Rick informed her which was a shock to Rachel. "She's still planning on moving out even if we aren't?" Why was she doing that? "I'll talk to her when she gets home. She needs to stay and save up her money, get the place she wants, not the one she can afford." Rachel looked at him and saw that face. "Don't give me that look. You're not fooling anyone. You love your mother, just pray she doesn't get run over on the way home for me to prove it to you," Rachel warned him. Rick just moaned. After all, he was living with his mother. He could tell anyone who would listen that his mother was living _with him,_ but it was the same thing anyway you sliced it. "Now stop brooding and go start dinner." Rachel slapped his toned leg and wanted to see his toned body naked later tonight. Their trips to the gym were paying dividends in _and_ out of bed.

Rachel made a stop in the bedroom first, pulled out the box she had hidden away, and locked the bathroom door. She looked at the stupid box. e.p.t. it said in bold, lowercase letters. She sat on the toilet and stared at the stupid blue box. There were three digital sticks inside. A mere $24 dollars plus tax was going to decide her future here and now. She took all three of them out and found them individually sealed. _'Easy to read. Over 99% accurate. Results best after 5 days having missed_ _your_ _period.'_ Well, she was over a month late and her latest period should have already happened, but it hadn't. She fumbled the first one and dropped it on the floor while trying to rip the packaging open. "DAMN IT!" She had chased down killers who would kill her in a heartbeat and she'd never been this nervous. "Get it together Rach."

Five minutes later and all three of them were still sitting on the counter top as she paced the bathroom floor, back and forth, back and forth. A quick look at her watch told her it was time. Her stomach was in knots. What did she know about having babies? "Baby, as in singular," Rachel corrected the stupid voice in her head. She finally walked close enough to see, but had to rub her eyes to get them to focus.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Has he called?" Mike asked his best friend who was still in the hospital. They had been manipulating his arm for him to keep it moving, but he had yet to move it on his own. "No, and I don't blame him," Jackson responded. Mike could tell him he could call him himself and get things started, but knew he wouldn't. "Have you read your update?" He changed topics and watched him nod. It was an update on Alexis and what she was doing. There was even an update on on their island included.

"Martha had started looking for her own apartment but your son's loan request fell through, so they won't be getting it. He popped the question, but then, you already know that. She could be good for him, Jack." Mike wasn't sure he was reaching him. "You have my address and phone number. If there's anything you need, or just need a place to crash, there will _always_ be an open bed with your name on it." He didn't get a response. "Try to take care of yourself Jack, and suck it up, dammit, and call your son! You're only going to have the one." Even at his age.

Mike was ready to leave. He had spent his money, now he just needed to go through a complete renovation to turn it around and make it look like he wanted it to. "Mike." Jack stopped him. "You've been a good friend and that's for you." He used his good hand to point to a large manila envelope on a side table. "Everything you'll need is in there. See to it that they get all of it?" Jack asked. Mike was too curious not to open it now, so he pulled out each page. "I knew you were a softy." Mike smiled at his friend. "You're sure you want this amount?" It was a lot, but still a lot less than what he had gotten, so he knew Jack likely had still more hidden away somewhere.

Mike kept reading, but Jack didn't answer his question. Then he was smiling at what he found. He would have to look it up and see if he could find any pictures. It sounded like a place Jack would retire to. "I'll see to it. I might even send you the occasional BBQ get well basket," he teased. "Don't do me any favors," Jack said smiling, even though they both knew that he loved real BBQ. "I'll send you any updates I get, just take care of yourself. It was about time we retired anyway. We're both getting too old for this job," Mike told him. It was something Jack had already been thinking about lately, even before his shoulder was destroyed. "Do _not_ be a stranger Jack, and don't make me come get you. I think I might be able to take you now." Jack was one-armed, while he was basically one-eyed. Jack chuckled even though he doubted it. Mike was younger however Jack was not necessarily more skilled, just more willing to fight dirty.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Mike looked at the papers again while he waited at the airport for his flight to his new home. Thankfully he spoke the local language and he still had contacts, so his place was going to be heavily armed, really heavily armed.

It was the home they had tried to buy after searching and looked at. **4 Sackett Landing, Rye, NY 10580.** Yet, even at $6.295 million, which the seller had accepted instead of the $7.5 million asking price, Rick and Rachel couldn't swing a loan. Rick being dead had obviously been a problem, and Rachel never had made, and still didn't make that kind of money. That, and not enough money down, had doomed them. Rick was too stubborn to ask his own daughter for some of his money back and Rachel didn't want to press him about it. Jack had bought it for the asking price then turned around and sold it to his son for $2.2 million. It still meant they would need a loan, but it was an amount they could manage to obtain.

Mike was proud of his friend.

He looked up when he heard his flight being called. Boarding pass and passport in hand, he got in line for his first class flight. Retirement was looking pretty damn good.


	64. Chapter 64

**K and K 64**

It took Rick and his friends just hours to reach the area indicated as they dismounted their _Phantom Steeds._ "Yuri sent us. Something about escorting something or someone to an underground location," said Rick. "We've been expecting you. You're early," the Dwarf they met pointed out. "Follow me," he told them and into a building they went which lead them into a tunnel that went into the mountain. It was actually a long walk with several turns until they reached an area that looked like a farm meant for animals. It was really perplexing. He escorted them into a room. "This is the messenger that reached us. I'll let him explain what is happening," he said and without Jenny or Guri he had to translate for them since the messenger only spoke Dwarven. They listened intently to everything then bombarded him with questions.

"So basically they attack in total darkness in which they can see but you can't, only to withdraw after doing minor damage, repeating it again the next day, day after day. Same time each day," Rick summed it up. "Correct," Rick was told. "So what or who are we escorting to this location?" Rick questioned. "Follow me," he told them again and took them out to a fence where they looked out onto the area. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled and in a moment there was a stampede headed their way.

However, what came rushing up to them was not what they were expecting. Their new friend grabbed a bag and started throwing little treats that had them scrambling and fighting for each one. "They're Beetles!" Lanie recognized the type of animal. Bug. "These are Giant Scarab Beetles. They naturally create a brilliant burst of light that's brighter than the sun itself. Each burst is worse than staring directly into the sun. It's bright enough to light up the darkest of caverns that's hundreds of feet across. Our sages tell us that it should be enough light to counteract the unnatural darkness that they are using. Our true hope is that this light alone will do severe damage to whoever or whatever is attacking. Your job is to deliver these beetles to the outpost. What you do after that is your business," they were told.

"You want us to herd a bunch of bugs from here to this outpost?" Kevin wasn't sure he believed what he was hearing. After all they had been through, now they were being asked to herd a bunch of bugs? "Correct. We have already sent two herds and believe neither of them have made it. Our guess is that they knew they were coming," he warned them. "You mean you have a spy in your midst," Rick said. "We believe so, yes. The other two were regular farmers that knew how to herd them. This time we want to send combat herders. You," he said hopefully. "They're not that hard to herd, we'll give you a few tricks and send you with enough snacks that they'll do almost anything for." He threw in a few more to prove their addiction to them as they went nuts scrambling all over each other. "They're also rather cranky and will take it out on you if you let them. Shall we get started? The sooner you understand how to do it, the faster you can leave and provide the outpost with relief," he told them.

"How many are we taking and how many do we still need when we get there?" Rick asked as they walked. "Our guess is that you will need to arrive with at least two dozen and we are sending you with five dozen Giant Scarab Beetles." Rick mouthed _'Five Dozen!'_ The things were about the size of Dapper and Storm combined at about three feet long and likely weighed 60 to 80 pounds each. "This is going to be fun," Rick replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes just like Kate was wont to do, since it was going to prove to be anything but.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate could hear Jenny rustling around in the kitchen while she sat in the library reading a real book that she had purchased in Silverymoon. This world wasn't lacking in magical or technical books or even books about other creatures. However, finding anyone who had written a real novel was far and few between. What was worse, she had bought the only two the shop had and the owner didn't know if or when he was going to get any more! "YAP!" Kate looked over the top of her book and down at the floor. "YAP!" One of Storm's pups was sitting there staring at her with his tongue hanging out, looking far too happy with himself.

"And just how did you get up here?" she asked him and got a "YAP!" back. "You're really proud of yourself, aren't you? Making it all the way up those stairs," she remarked. He just sat there panting and in her mind, grinning a doggy grin like he understood every word she'd said. "Well, just so long as..." She was interrupted when she saw two more run past from where the stairs were, into the living room, and possibly out into the garden since the door was probably open. "I'm just betting your name is Trouble." She tried to sound firm but her smile was giving her away. "Yap, yap, yap," came from somewhere around the corner. "And I'm betting you're the one that taught them how to do that too." Kate glared at him which got him to turn and run to join his littermates. "You better not pee and poop up here!" she called after him, knowing it was inevitable if they stayed too long, or especially if "Easy Mark Jenny" was still into the food. She struggled to get out of her chair then moved out into the living room where Jenny was standing, snacking on what to her looked like a piece of jerky, watching half of the pups running around all over.

"DAPPER! ...STORM!" Kate yelled for their parents which actually showed up in seconds. "Take your family back downstairs you two. I'm not cleaning up their mess. Now please?" she asked them and was actually amazed when each picked a pup up by the neck and went downstairs with the other pup following on his own. Though he tumbled down part way, not that it seemed to stop him.

"I noticed you didn't help any," Kate pointed out. "They're cute!" Jenny countered. "Then I'll let you clean up after them when they come back up here. Since they now know how, they will," she grumbled. "At least I can still see my shoes." Jenny started grinning. "I can see my..." She looked down and tried to suck in her stomach. She actually pushed a little and felt him or her push back. "Shut-up.

Just because you're a couple of months behind me doesn't give you room to talk," she countered. "And why aren't you as big as I was at this point?" Jenny was pregnant but was nowhere near her size. Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "Twins?" Jenny suggested. "BITE YOUR TONGUE!" She wasn't having twins! Her parents had said they had been lucky to have her. The thought of them made her start crying. Her parents were never going to see her pregnant. Never going to see their grandchild. Never going to get to see Rick.

Jenny tried to hug her but their bellies prevented much contact. "I'm sorry, I was only teasing." Jenny meant it, too. Kate shook her head and wiped at her tears. "I was thinking that my parents were never going to see this. I haven't missed them like this for a long time. It's just that they're never going to see any of this. Stupid hormones." Kate knew whose fault it was. "Join the club. My father's dead and my mother could be anything or anywhere. Plus you should try being a half demon of a Succubus whose sole reason for being was to seduce men into her bed where she could have her way with them before killing them. And I'm so damn horny!" Jenny confided, which had Kate laughing. "You and me both sister, you and me both." Rick had better get back here soon.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

The stable area was packed when everyone was home. Six horses and seven mules took up a lot of space. Added to that was that they needed a space to give them a bath, stairs up to the floor above, and access to the large cistern below them.

There were seven stalls across the back from the double front doors. One stall on each end and another two on either side of the front doors. Just off the front doors was a location to wash the horses while the wolves and their pups got the place under the stairs. Problem was the pups were growing and were taking over all the free space. Thankfully they were missing four horses at the moment. However, that also meant they had two horses and seven mules to take care of.

"Hi Jenny, do you need help today?" One of Seven's sons showed up at the doors. "Please! Go get your brother." Jenny was happy to see him. Soon both of them were back. The oldest started throwing down hay, while the other started combing the horses followed by brushing them.

"Jenny, can we get an extra copper piece per day?" He had a surprise for his parents and since his parents got all the money they made, he was going to hide this money and use it to purchase his surprise. "You're up to something. I can feel it," said Jenny, glaring at him. He withered under her look and spilled the beans just as his older brother hit him in the arm for telling. "I'll tell you what. I'll make it two coppers extra per day UNTIL you have enough to purchase two presents. Deal?" Jenny asked as their smiles grew wide. "We'll work hard, we promise." And then started working even harder which had Jenny smiling at these two. They had enough coin to double that and then double that daily and pay that amount for months or years to come. They were literally the richest people in town. "Keep up the good work boys," Jenny told them. Then she headed upstairs and found Kate in her sewing room.

"You've got a lot of items completed, and these colors!" Jenny picked up a pair of the panties and felt the soft material and the patch of cotton in the crotch area. "When are you taking all this into the city?" Jenny inquired, watching as Kate cut cloth using the several patterns that she had. "When the guys and Lanie get back is the plan. If they sell well I'll look into finding a place in town to buy or land to build a shop on, followed by hiring a couple of women to help me. Hopefully expand if all goes well," Kate shared. "If the bras you've made for me, including the new ones because of my pregnancy, are as nice as these, you're going to be loved by the women in Silverymoon." Jenny had a healthy set of breasts before the pregnancy, now as they filled with milk for her baby, they kept getting bigger, much like Kate's breasts were doing. "Let's hope so." Kate set her cutout cloth to one side then pinned her patterns to another piece of cloth to be cut out.

"We may have to go into the city soon without them, I'm running out of thread," said Kate. "Is that wise? It's a good three days into the city and we're in no shape for combat," Jenny cautioned her.

"The route has been safe for months, ever since we escorted Guri into Silverymoon. If it makes you feel better I can go over to the Cloud Giants' home and ask for someone to go with us. Yuri might agree. And I can take one of my meals with me. The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Kate remarked. "In my experience the fastest way to get a man to do what you want is to pay attention to the mind between his legs,"a grinning Jenny said which made Kate laugh. "There is that, but if his penis is as big as I think it is, I literally couldn't do that, nor do that to Rick," she said.

"Yes, but just think what a penis that size could feel like inside you," Jenny mused. "Jeez Jen, you must really be horny," Kate teased. "You have no idea." Kate might but then she wasn't half Succubus.

It was then that all the dogs went nuts. **"SHIT!"** Kate hurried as best she could across the hall to her room to grab her **S** **taff** , while Jenny went downstairs to get her **Gem of Brightness** and went downstairs right behind Kate. They had reached the second floor and were being careful on the stairs down to the ground floor. They paused and listened. Dapper and Storm were no longer barking, neither was Mongo. The pups, however, were still going nuts.

"We are never doing that again," Lanie stated as the others began laughing. Then they heard, " **RICK!** "and " **KEV!** "at the same time followed by footsteps hurrying down the stairs. A still grubby Rick and Kevin were crashed into, trapped by kisses of epic proportion. Kate finally broke from the third kiss she'd given him. "I want to hear everything. ...LATER!" And she took his hand and dragged him upstairs right behind Jenny and Kevin. Lanie took Javi's hand. "Shower babe, now." And Javi was pulled upstairs to their room.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Four feet long and weighed 80 pounds? Seriously?" Kate had never heard of such a thing. Even some of those cheap SciFi "B" movies with giant spiders or giant grasshoppers didn't match this. It was almost as stupid as that Ed Wood movie.

"Laugh all you want, those things were cantankerous, and had no problem biting you if you got in the way," Javi informed Kate and Jenny since he had been out front with Kevin next on one side, Rick next on the other side, while Lanie spent her time eating dust. When she wasn't using her **Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds** for the bug bites, that is.

"Actually we were doing fine at first. Javi was out in front guiding us the direction we needed to go and our bugs were content to follow him. It wasn't until our first encounter that we had any problem. We encountered this large, almost circular pit that had a trail that curved around it lower and lower till it reached the bottom," Rick explained. "Sounds like an open pit mine," Kate remarked, however none of them knew what she was talking about. Rick continued his story. "There was a ledge on one side that went into another tunnel. Only problem was there were these two rather large, almost giant-looking creatures. They started throwing rocks up at us and actually managed to hit a couple of the bugs. It was then that we found out just how easy it was to kill them. I threw an **Air Elemental Gem** at them so they could fight it instead of us and we just kept moving. We were doing fine for a while before Javi hit a trip wire, he believes, after the fact." Javi interrupted him, "You try looking for traps with bugs almost as big as you are trying to bite your ass off if you got too close and see if _you_ spot the damn thing!"

"The trip wire caused a small avalanche which released a bunch of huge crickets that had our bugs running after them. ...Bug food!" Rick rolled his eyes. "We spent almost two hours chasing them down using the snacks we were given. Finally we were moving again without anymore losses." Rick shook his head remembering what it took to get these brain-dead bugs to do what they wanted.

"Now comes the good part." Lanie started chuckling since she hadn't been up front handling these things. "We ran across the corpse of a gargantuan worm. Its maw was big enough...it was as round as the kitchen is wide and its mouth was still wide open," Rick explained. "Plus it filled the entire tunnel from side to side and top to bottom," Javi informed them. "So what did you do?" Kate questioned. "Javi went into the worm and hacked his way through till he came out the other end. We had to get the bugs to go through the worm, one-bug-at-a-time." Rick held up just one finger. Kate laughed her ass off. Looking at the faces of Javi, Rick, and even Kevin, only made her laugh harder.

"Okay, keep, going," Kate wheezed between laughs. "Then eventually we entered this cavern that had four exits out of it. Two to the left and two at the far end. According to the map we wanted the one to the left on the far end. In-between there were three pools of water." Rick paused. Javi and Kevin groaned. "Javi made it past the three pools and then it was my turn and out of each pool jumped... They were like mini versions of that giant worm we'd just seen moments before. They each latched on to a bug and dragged it into the water," Kevin explained. "Even worse, they spooked the bugs which had them running everywhere, down each and every tunnel. They spit up, so so did we," said Rick.

"You didn't?" Kate was pissed at them. She would have done something else. "We did." Rick hung his head. That was where they had really missed Kate the most. "Nothing happened but it took us hours to turn them around and get back into the room with the three pools. Still we lost almost a dozen of them in the process," said Rick. "The little buggers can be fast when they want to be," said Javi as he defended them. "Which we found out the hard way a few hours later," Rick added, then continued. "We entered this really large cave that had fissures or fractures in the ground all over the place. Some were small, others were anything but." He paused since this was where everything went to hell.

"Javi was doing his best trying to find his way past all of them, to reach the far side and enter the tunnel. Suddenly what looked like a massive cloak came fluttering down from the ceiling and wrapped itself around Kevin. Another one came fluttering down, spooking the bugs into a stampede headed to the biggest fissure of all. It was going to drive them all right over the edge and kill them all," Rick remarked. "Rick and Lanie went after the bugs while I stayed behind to try and get Kev out of the cape thing. We found out later that there were a number of problems. Its eyes were on the outside and it had this tail full of spikes that it was using to attack me. On the inside was its mouth which was biting Kev constantly," Javi explained. "OH GOD!" Jenny held her hands over her mouth then reached over and grabbed Kevin's arm.

"There was one more thing. I was fighting it and trying to hack Kev out of it, however my hits were also causing him damage. My damage and it biting him, was killing him," Javi said further. "You obviously survived," Kate pointed out. "It was a close thing," admitted Lanie. "Rick and I each threw an **Air Elemental Gem**. We used one to fight off the other 'Cape' while the other one was used to turn the bugs around and get them down the right tunnel. Problem was this put Rick out in front while Javi was next, followed by Kevin, then finally me," Lanie said.

"The next cavern turned out to be the location of the Dwarven outpost. It was actually rather large and was dug into the wall of the cavern. Not that we saw it since the entire place was pitch black. Amazingly enough, it was this darkness that we're thinking unnerved the bugs which immediately began blinking their bright lights. As hoped, it overcame the darkness and we ran the bugs right up to their front gates. The Dwarves opened the gates just as we reached it, which caused the bugs to scatter and the Dwarves launched an attack immediately," Rick stated. "Turned out there were six holes in the cavern from which the enemy used to launch raids. They ran the bugs into each hole and followed them in and killed everyone. We never did actually see them. It was like the light scattered them and burned them up," Javi explained.

"When they came back there was this massive feast filled with beer, pork, more beer, beets and more beer, pies and more beer." Rick smiled as he remembered the party. "Dancing half-naked, uh...dancing Dwarves," Kevin corrected himself. "Don't let them fool you, they had hangovers that damn near killed them," Lanie leaned over to Kate and Jenny and whispered. "It was strong beer," Javi admitted. "We didn't leave until the next day after yet another feast." Lanie rolled her eyes.

"They did give us something in gratitude," Kevin told them and lifted up his shirt to show the broad belt that he was wearing.

 **Belt of Dwarvenkind –** A person gained an advantage when interacting with Dwarves automatically above others. Could read, speak and write Dwarven. Gains 60-foot dark vision. The wearer could resist being sick easier. And was more resistant to poisons, also he/she could understand the qualities of stone better.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It had been nearly a year, but he was finally out and the fresh air felt good. True to his word, Mike had kept Jack up-to-date on everyone. Rick and Rachel had bought the home after they obtained their loan and had long since moved in. According to his update, Rachel was just about ready to give birth to Richard's second and third daughter. "Twins." Jackson chuckled. He was happy for him, he really was. He still didn't understand how his son was alive since he had been so sure Richard had died in Paris. He had even actually been in France at the time and had dropped what he was doing and took a high speed train to Paris where his world collapsed down around him. Just one more month and he would be a grandfather again.

They had even been flown out to Copenhagen using Katherine's plane. He knew he had been right about Katherine and yet for the last year he had learned a lot. She was different. Utterly dedicated to Alexis, but different. From what he had learned, Katherine was more than capable of protecting Alexis so long as they stayed together. Their island was still several months away from completion, yet according to the pictures Mike had included, it was looking nice. The mountain was a very prominent feature.

"And sign here and it's yours," his boat broker told him, bringing him out of his reverie. Jackson signed where indicated then handed over the certified check from a local bank which had received the funds for it from an overseas account. Katherine wasn't the only one who had money where the US wouldn't find it. "This packet holds your keys, documentation, insurance, history of maintenance, as well as everything on the extensive remodel that you requested. She's ready for you," said the broker and shook his hand. A taxi drive down to the dock and he got his first real look at her.

 **2010 Blue Coast Yachts Blue Coast 95'**

Originally built in 2010, it had a just finished extensive remodel and restoration. It was 95 feet long with a hull made of composite products and had small twin turbo diesels for when he couldn't use the sails. The deck was covered from bow to stern, port to starboard with teak, a flying bridge that offered a great space with a round Jacuzzi and four large sun mats, two on each side. The hydraulic tender lift was for launching the tender to get into town with when he anchored out in the bay.

The galley had a long bar and was the central hub of the yacht. The master cabin with master bathroom, located on the main deck up forward had a great panoramic view. One hull had two spare bedrooms with headroom each with their own bathroom plus the yacht's laundry room.

The other hull had a library and a locked command and control room that could access any satellite in orbit with multiple full color screens filling the walls. It was state-of-the-art and had cost him a small fortune above the $5.09 million that he had paid for the yacht and its remodel. It also held his private exercise room. In-between was a large locked and sealed weapons locker that had everything: Corner shot 40mm Grenade Launcher, Matador Rocket Launcher, Aromatic Digital Revolver, Barrett MRAD.388 Sniper Rifle, XM25 Smart Grenade Launcher, Baretta LTLX7000 shotgun, Ebit VIPer Combat Robot, RPG along with rounds and grenades to load them with.

His left arm was still weak and he had been told it was never going to get any better, but he didn't believe in the word no.

The computer-controlled pilot house controlled the hydraulic furling boom with an automatic bagging system to protect the sails. It even came with a remote control device that allowed him to be far forward and control the sails and everything else. It reminded him of one of those things the kids used these days to play video games.

Black and white outside seating along with seating for eight at the outdoor dining room table; it was covered but it was outside. The kitchen had gray cabinets with stainless steel appliances, the stainless steel sink in the island had pendant lights above. Granite countertops. There were even hidden floor lights in the island's toe kick all the way around. In addition, it had a breakfast bar for two with white leather chairs. The living room had a white leather sofa and loveseat and black chairs with high backs. There were real wood wide plank floors with equally wide wood ceiling. A giant LED TV rose up out of a massive cabinet that hid the DVD, stereo receiver, and satellite control with sixteen speakers hidden throughout the entire yacht.

The master suite had cabinets for clothes below the panoramic windows on three sides. The king-sized bed had a white headboard with black and white sheets and comforter, as well as the same type of lights the kitchen island had all around the bottom of the bed.

The yacht itself had black pontoons while the superstructure was silver in color. The pilot house was located on the top deck above the master suite with the boom overhead. It was maybe more black and white let alone more modern than he was used to, but then that was before his shoulder injury. At least it wasn't all white everywhere or had any of that fake wood look. He was sure it would grow on him.

Jack was dying to get this baby out in the ocean and he knew just where his first, and possibly one and only, stop he would ever make there was going to be. He was too proud to apologize but he was going to play nice if they would let him.


	65. Chapter 65

**K and K 65**

Kate, along with Rick, Jenny, and Zillah, a midwife from Relfrin, were all in one of the spare bedrooms while Kate was sweating, squeezing Rick's hand till the others could hear bones cracking. Kate however had other things on her mind. "Breathe. Do your breathing exercises," Zillah told her. Huff, huff, huff, huff. "You're doing great, almost fully dilated. Now on the next contraction I want you to push." She screamed and pushed, really bearing down to push their child out of her. "All right, breathe and get ready for the next contraction." She was so tired though. Her water had broken and Lanie had gone running for the midwife who had said she would help. She had actually looked Kate over then left, saying she would be back in about six to nine hours.

It was 21 hours later. "Push!" Zillah urged. _"I AM PUSHING!"_ Kate screamed. What she wanted was the baby out and the pain to be gone. God, but she wished for drugs to take away the pain. If giving birth hurt this much she was never doing this again. "I'm going to kill you Rick!" she threatened.

"Stop talking and push!" Zillah chastised her. She was crying, tired, and in pain. "Push! I can see the head." Hearing that was enough to get Kate to reach for any reserves she still had and push. It seemed to only take a moment then they all heard the sound of a baby crying with an impressive set of pipes. With the cord tied off and cut, the midwife handed the baby to Rick. "He's gorgeous Kate, simply gorgeous." Rick was beaming and felt tears of joy run down his face.

"It's a boy!?" Kate wasn't sure if she was happy or just happy it was over. "Hand him over to Jenny so she can wash him and bring him back," Zillah told him. After the baby boy was gone, Kate heard her say, "Now let's get started on the next one." She took her position again. "NEXT ONE!?" Kate yelled while looking at her in shock. "TWINS?" Rick turned to look at the lady. "NO, No, no! We are _not_ having twinnnnnsssss!" A contraction hit when she wasn't ready for it. "You need to push at the next contraction," Zillah told her. "I can't push." She was spent and she knew it. "It doesn't matter, you've got one more baby to deliver, so get ready to push." She went back to crushing Rick's hand and back to screaming when the next contraction arrived. "PUSH!" commanded Zillah.

Kate was done, really done, and about ready to pass out. Tired didn't begin to describe her condition. Tired and in pain while watching her second baby being handed off to Jenny to be cleaned. She was only vaguely aware of being told the sex of the second one, but all she wanted to do now was rest.

Zillah cleaned her up after she delivered the afterbirth, and congratulated Rick, told Kate she had done great and couldn't wait to find out their names and watch them grow. "Thank you. Thank you, really, thank you," Rick babbled just as Jenny showed up with a baby in one arm with Lanie right behind her holding the other baby. "They're gorgeous Kate, really gorgeous." Jenny handed over one baby for Kate to hold while Lanie did the same for the other arm.

"Twins!" Jenny smiled wide. "Twin boys," Lanie corrected her with a smile. "Twin boys," Kate whispered and kissed one before kissing the other. Looking at Rick, all she felt now was love. She loved him with all of her heart and she instantly loved her boys. She was going to do everything and anything for them. Anything. "Congratulations, Mom," Rick teased then kissed Kate tenderly. _'Mom, she was a mom. After all these years she was finally able to find out what the life she had abandoned years ago after her parents had been killed was going to be like. And she wanted it, with all of her heart, she wanted it.'_

"Thanks babe." Kate was ready to cry. She was here with babies all because of Rick. "No, thank _you_ _,_ my heart. You gave me twin boys, _WE have twin_ _sons!_ _"_ Rick wiped away his tears and leaned down to kiss the head of each of them and smiled a smile of love at his beloved Kate. "We're not ready for twins babe." Kate pointed out an immediate problem, one they definitely hadn't planned for. "You can have ours, Kev and I will get another one," Jenny offered. In fact one whole spare bedroom was full of baby things. A special oil, powder, cloth diapers, pins, sheets, blankets, and even baby toys. "Thanks Jen." She was very grateful. "You should sleep Kate, because you are going to get precious little coming up," Rick advised her. She nodded and watched as Jenny and Lanie took a baby boy from her, went into their room, and laid them in the cribs that were in there by now, thanks to Kevin. He had been just outside and had heard Jenny offer up their crib.

Rick leaned to down to kiss Kate soundly this time. "Sleep Kate, when they wake-up they're going to be hungry," he warned. She lifted up a hand to cup his face. "I love you, and I'll thank whoever sent me here to you." She felt Rick wipe her tears away. "Sleep." He gave her another quick kiss and waited for her to close her eyes before leaving her. Eyes closed, her mind was on what it was going to feel like to breastfeed her baby boys. TWINS!

"Time to celebrate bro," Javi informed Rick when he came downstairs. Then he stepped over to the tube and blew into it. "Three cold beers please," Javi said into the tube. Then he saw Lanie with her hand up. "Make that four," he corrected, waiting for the bell before he used the rope to pull them up.

With the beers in Javi's hands, Lanie gave Jenny with a glass of water with ice in it. Ice in drinks was another thing that Kate had given them. "To the parents and their twin boys, it's going to be a real home around here now!" Javi toasted with his beer. "To a real home!" Kevin agreed and the others followed and drank.

They were resting in the living room drinking their second libation. "Do we have enough gold pieces?" Javi wondered. It had each of them thinking.

Rick - "Around 60,000 gold pieces in a **Bag of Holding**."

Javi - "Around the same more or less."

Kevin - "Amazingly enough, roughly about the same for me."

Lanie - "Me, too."

Jenny - "I've only got about 45,000 gold pieces." She was a little bummed, but she hadn't gone on the last mission so she simply had less than the others.

Kate - "I think Kate has about the same more or less, but I'll ask her," said Rick as he spoke up for her.

It sounded like enough to them to keep them going for quite a while. "What do we say if Yuri or Guri come back asking for our help again?" Rick asked. It left each of them thinking. Jenny was shaking her head. She knew she wasn't going anywhere for months even after the baby. Lanie was shaking her head also. To her way of thinking, they either all went or they didn't go at all. "We all go or we all stay," Kevin said as the others nodded in agreement. They had enough gold pieces, at least for now.

"How do you feel Dad?" Kevin asked, wondering what was in store for him. "Amazed, overwhelmed, excited, in love like I've never been before. ...Scared." They had twins, making everything twice as difficult. "You're going to need names," Jenny reminded him. "We've already answered that one, at least for one. Kate and I have been talking. The first one is James Leonard Castle, right after Kate says yes," Rick informed them and took a ring from his pocket. "Kate explained how people marry in her world, so I arranged for a ring a couple of months ago. It was ready during our last trip into Silverymoon." Lanie took it from him, smiling at what she saw, then handed it around for the others to see till it was back in Rick's hand.

"You know what this means bro," Javi chaffed Kevin, while watching Jenny smile. Kevin moaned a little. "Good thing we have to go into Silverymoon again soon. We have a lot of pony kegs to sell," Lanie pointed out. "We need to take Kate's items with us as well. See if they are selling at the three stores she put them in during out last trip there," Jenny mentioned. Kate had mostly bras from 34 B to 36 C sizes in assorted colors and types, along with twelve pairs of panties of various sizes, though she had stuck around the 30 inch to 38 inch sizes, in each store along with twenty-four feminine pads in each store. She knew what the ones she had been wearing had cost her and she had increased hers 1.5 times for now. If they didn't sell she would lower her price, if they did sell she might raise them a little. Still she wanted everyone a chance to own one and know what it was like to have a good fitting bra and panty and for them to find out just what her pads could do for them.

She branded her products **Shazam** for her bras and panties and **Always** for her feminine pads. Jenny had even helped her create a logo for her brands, then cut them out and attached them to each item. The pads were wrapped up in threes and pinned closed with the pin going through the logo.

The sound of a baby crying made Rick jump up and run up the stairs. He didn't notice Storm and Dapper running up the stairs behind him, ending up right on his heels with the puppies trying to catch up. The sight left the four of them laughing. They had watched Storm deliver her babies and now the wolves were going to look at Kate's babies.

Kate heard her babies cry. But her sudden movement to go to them only caused her pain. "DAMN IT!" She sagged back onto the bed. She couldn't even help her own babies now. However, she smiled in relief when in walked Rick with one of her baby boys. "I think he's hungry." He handed the baby he had over to her who held him close and pressed her nose into him to learn his smell. "Help me?" She needed her shirt lifted to expose a beast swollen with milk. Soon she was doing only what she had ever heard or read about, nursing her son. It felt...different. Rick had been paying attention to her larger breasts and her larger nipples in particular. However this felt different. It wasn't pain per se, it felt more like a pulling. Weird.

The first one wasn't even done yet when the other one started making his wants known. "I don't have enough arms for this," Kate pointed out as Rick helped her put her other son to her breast and soon she was nursing both her sons at the same time. "How do you feel?" He was concerned about her, she had just given birth after all. Kate smiled and replied, "In love." One finished so Rick took him and burped him. Then he simply stared at his son when the infant wrapped his tiny hand around Rick's finger. Overwhelmed, he kissed his fuzzy head. "How do you feel Dad?" Kate smiled gently. "Like I love all three of you." Rick leaned down to kiss her and the head of his son at her breast. "My breasts belong to them now babe." She used her free hand to pull his head down into another kiss.

"How's Kate?" the guys asked since the girls remained upstairs. "Hurting, tired, and sleeping again after feeding the boys," Rick admitted as he walked over to the tube in the kitchen and whistled. "One cold beer please." A moment later he heard the bell and pulled up his seriously cold beer in the dumbwaiter. Getting the top off was where most of the work took place.

"Twins bro!" Javi punched him in the arm while grinning. "Yeah!" Rick joined him in smiling till he thought about it. "Double the number of dirty diapers, double the amount of sleep neither of us are going to get, and how is Kate going to find time to sew?" Rick knew she would have to stop, however he was going to have to fight her over it, he was certain.

"Speaking of which we need to take our spices into the city soon. We've already got over a month's worth and we're out of pony kegs," Javi reminded them. "It'll have to be just us since the girls will need someone left behind to help them," Kevin pointed out. "We wait a week and let Kate heal some. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong." Rick put a condition on going.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rick went down the stairs, taking one slow step at a time to the stables and found Javi and Kevin ready to go. "You awake?" Javi mocked. Rick looked behind him to see who he was talking to. Realizing Javi meant him, he replied, "No, now let's go and get this over with. I have a list that Kate gave me." He headed for his horse. "Dapper, go upstairs and guard Kate while we're gone." He was still amazed as he watched the wolf run up the stairs, assuming their bedroom was where he was going.

Rick went one way while Javi and Kevin went to the dealer to sell their spices. In the city they were worried more about pick pockets then being attacked, especially when the city guards were everywhere.

"Hi, I have a message from Kate Beckett with **Shazam** and **Always** and I'm here to..." Rick was interrupted. "Your wife is **Shazam** and **Always**?" She looked like her prayers had just been answered. "Please tell me you brought more of her products to sell." She was holding her hands together like she was praying. "I came to collect her sales gold pieces and leave behind some more items for this store and the other two," he confirmed. "Thank the gods!" she exclaimed and waited for him to deliver what was going to the store. Before he was even finished, she had already selected a bra, matching panty, and a bundle of pads. Then she hurried over to the store owner to pay for her selections.

The store owner was handing over Kate's sales. "I actually sold out two weeks ago. I've had customers coming in asking when the next delivery was. Her wares are very popular. Oh, I'm also supposed to give her this." She dug out a scroll that has the city seal on it. "The Lady herself left it," she told Rick which told him who she was talking about, and that was big.

Rick found the other two stores were also devoid of any of Kate's items and had been sold out for weeks. "It may be awhile before she has time to make more. She just gave birth to our sons last week," he informed the last store owner. "Congratulations! Just fill her space when you can, it will always be here for her," the owner told Rick as he accepted his rent for her space.

Rick met the guys at the cooper's shop, who made the pony kegs they needed, to help them load the mules. "How did it go?" Rick inquired. "5,300 gold pieces each is what we got and he's already ready for our next trip into the city. How did Kate's items go?" Kevin asked. "She's popular, the shelves have been empty for at least the past two weeks. I even have a sealed scroll from the Lady herself," Rick replied, which had them stopping to look at him askance, wondering if he was kidding. "You're really serious." Kevin and Javi were impressed.

"One store owner even immediately sold some of what I brought," Rick admitted. "Sorry I'm late, but I also had to do some shopping." He patted his backpack then slipped it over his shoulders. "No worry. _The hard part is already done."_ Javi yelled at him since unloading the mules with pony kegs full of spices was the hard part and he wasn't there for that. "Yeah, sorry about that. ...NOT! Next time I'll let you two handle the bras, panties, and... _In the women's intimate area!"_ Rick yelled back as he did his best to yell down at them by trying to tower over them. Except all he got back was them laughing at him. "Yeah, yeah, let's go home." Mounting his horse and collecting the lead reins of a couple of the mules, he headed for home forcing his two laughing best friends to try and catch up.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

It was a month later:

"I thought I might find you in here," Rick said as he entered Kate's sewing room. "I couldn't or, maybe more accurately, didn't want to sleep any more. I've barely made a thing over the last month and you said the shelves were empty after two weeks, so they should be empty yet again by now. How am I suppose to be a good designer and seamstress if I can't keep up with demand?" She kept cutting. "You have two babies to take care of, you're not supposed to be able to keep up," he countered, not that it made her feel any better about it. "The boys are asleep and I'm right across the hall with both doors open. I'll hear either one of them if they wake up." She laid her cut piece on the table and began pinning the pattern into another piece of cloth. He knew better then to try and stop her so he simply stood and watched as she started cutting out the pattern she had just finished pinning. "What did your scroll say, if I may ask?" He had been curious after he got it, but it was for her. She could keep its contents to herself if she wanted. Unless, of course, she was willing to share. "It's right over there, read it for yourself." She paused in her cutting to point. He picked it up and unrolled it so he could read it.

 _Katherine Beckett,_

 _I've heard a number of good things about you and your friends from Guri. She has only told me a little and even learning that much wasn't easy. She has a good heart, she just needs to find that special someone to teach her how to open it. I already miss our talks since she has been reassigned by her father. Her replacement is just not the same._

 _I came across your intimate items purely by accident and I must say that you are quite talented. I haven't worn anything this nice in...well, never actually. I was saddened to find your shelves empty of recent_ _._ _I pray that it is not because you have run across foul play._

 _I am lighthearted to hear that you and your friends have taken up residence in the mountain pass town of Relfrin. I feel secure in the knowledge that the entrance to our fair city is being well guarded._

 _If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know. I'll gladly help you create a store for your items here in the city if you so desire, or talk to the mayor of Relfrin about finding you some space there. My aids have already started the search for women willing to help you here or in Relfrin._

 _I look forward to seeing more of your creations._

 _Lady Alustriel_

 _M_ _ember of the Seven Sisters, High Mage of Shaloss Ethenfrost_

Rick's eyes widened. "WOW!" To have the Lady of Silverymoon on her side was a major accomplishment in his eyes. "Now you know why I'm in here working," Kate told him and laid her cut piece to one side and began pinning the next pattern. "What do you plan on doing? I'd prefer not to move..." She interrupted him. "We're not moving. I like it here." She stopped working and moved over to Rick, placing her hands on his chest. She pressed herself up against him, feeling him wrap his arms around her. Something he could easily do again now that she was no longer pregnant.

"This is home, we have a family here. We can home school the boys when they get older and there are or will be a few kids in Relfrin for them to play with." Kate buried her face into his chest. "I gave up any hope of this life in my world after my parents were killed. Even now I can still see their tortured, mangled bodies," she said, her voice muffled in his chest and could feel his arms tighten around her. "Age 25 or 38, I don't care. This is home now and I want this life, I want it so badly it hurts and scares me," she confided. "Scares? Granted our adventures, missions through the mirrors have been scary..." He stopped talking because he could feel her shake her head. "It's not that. Combat is nothing new to me, killing is nothing new to me," she admitted. "Then what babe?" He didn't understand. "What if I can't stay? What if I'm forced to go back to my world?" That thought alone had been hard to take. Now it was even worse since her heart was so wrapped up in Rick and their sons.

"But you said you have two coins left. When Katherine comes here, you'll still have a coin with which to return here, to return home to our family." Rick didn't see the problem. "What if we're wrong about how it works? What if it can't be permanent? You said yourself that magic can do amazing things. What if this is just too much for it? What if the last coin wipes my memory of ever having been here? What if, what if all of this is just a dream and I never even left my home in Canada that first time," she said desperately. "Or a movie that only I can see. If I've been sitting at my table staring into a crystal skull all this time? Weeks, months, years here, but not even a second has passed where I really am?" Kate voiced her biggest fear of all.

This was a life she couldn't have. People simply didn't get do-overs. She had made her choices and the magic was simply showing her what her life could have been like if she had made different choices, or was a different Katherine Houghton Beckett. The fear of losing it all was just too much for her heart to take and she broke down in Rick's arms, wishing to keep them around her. ALWAYS!


	66. Chapter 66

**K and K 66**

Katherine finally made it home after taking yet another taxi. She dropped her bag right at the door and would worry about picking it up later and taking it into their room. She barely noticed the head of bright red hair bouncing her way till she felt Alexis's arms around her.

"How did it go?" Alexis was curious. She was satisfied in how her finals had gone even if she had been helping Katherine with her homework, let alone doing her own. "Fine, I think. I still don't really understand math or how trigonometry is going to do me any good. You people have really generated a lot of knowledge that you are expected to learn. Rocket science to get to another planet. Aerodynamics to make planes. It's all so different. Not so much as an ounce of magic on this world. Makes me wonder just where the crystal skull even came from." Katherine was still puzzled about that.

"Dad's just about done making dinner. You have just enough time to take a quick shower, change, and join us." Alexis let go of her and escorted her into their bedroom. "Now strip and hop into the shower. I'll find you something to wear." Alexis began opening drawers. "You coming with me?" Katherine smiled an invitation. Alexis giggled. "Not this time, my dessert's in the oven and Dad just might let it burn to teach me a lesson," she told her as she watched Katherine pout and start stripping. Though watching her naked ass walk into the bathroom made her wish she hadn't gotten a brilliant idea and made Katherine's favorite dessert.

Their finals for this semester were done and they had the summer in front of them. They had already decided to move to Copenhagen again for the summer. This time they wanted to do a serious search for a place to stay and start the next semester in Copenhagen since their home was scheduled to be complete sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They wanted to move in the second it was ready and not have to move long distance, even though they were only moving clothes and a few knickknacks since everything else was being provided. Beds, sheets, towels, plates, pots and pans, silverware. Literally everything except personal items like soap, makeup, and other items. That was all up to them. Plus they would have a walk-through to do for the entire island to find things the contractor needed to fix.

Katherine came out of the bathroom with still wet hair and a towel around her to find Alexis sitting on the bed with a set of clothes next to her. Katherine kissed her. "Thanks. ...How long have your dad and Rachel been here?" Katherine knew they were coming and how long they were going to be here.

"They said they arrived just after lunch. You should see Rachel, she's huge." Alexis spread her arms wide to express just how big Rachel was. "Just don't tell her that, she'll kill you," Katherine warned as she pulled her panties up after hooking her bra in place.

"How're things with your dad and you?" Katherine knew they were at least talking again. "Getting better I think, and Dad is positively beaming. He hasn't stopped since getting here and even in the short time I've been here he's been trying to do everything for Rachel," Alexis said. "I'll bet that went over well." Katherine chuckled, knowing Rachel wasn't going to stand for being doted on or being smothered by Rick's kindnesses, even now. "She marched up the stairs to their room till after we leave tomorrow, then I talked them into moving downstairs," Alexis told her. "Good, Rachel shouldn't be going up and down the stairs being this far along in her pregnancy. They would both kill themselves if she fell down those stairs and lost the girls." Katherine approved of handing over the bedroom.

They were soon back into the main room just as Rick yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready. They both headed for the cabinets to get out plates and glasses with which to set the table. They watched Rachel inch her way down the stairs, one step at a time. "Maybe we should find a hotel room and let them have the bedroom tonight," Katherine whispered to Alexis as she watched a hugely pregnant Rachel slowly work her way down the stairs. Alexis nodded her head.

"How are the girls?" Katherine asked her once she was finally down the stairs. "Forever moving, I think they're fighting each other already," Rachel replied. Rachel groaned as she got a little foot in her ribs. She quickly took Katherine's hand and placed it on her belly, showing Katherine what she was feeling. "Sisterly love." Katherine smiled wide. "You'd better be right or Rick and I are going to have our hands full." Rachel was just a little scared about what was coming. She knew Rick had raised Alexis all on his own, and based on Alexis, he was perfect at raising children. To her this was all new and more than a little scary.

"Kat and I are thinking of moving into a hotel room before we fly out," Alexis said as they ate. "Why?" Rachel liked having them around. "I don't want you falling down those stairs. We go to a hotel and we can move you into the master bedroom for as long as you're here," Alexis explained. Rachel was thinking about it when Rick spoke up. "Thank you. I've been worried about her going up and down the stairs. We have stairs at home, but the hospital is so far away." Moving into the loft for Rachel's last month was why they were there in the first place.

"Just make sure you call the second she goes into labor Dad. Simon will fly us back here as fast as he can." Alexis pointed her finger at him. "Yes, daughter." Rick had found that giving up control to Alexis had helped him get past his questioning of Katherine. That and Rachel tended to lower the boom on him when he did.

"How's your new home?" Katherine asked them. "It's nice, it really is. I've never lived in any place like it. My parents never really had that much money, we did alright but it always struck me as being a struggle. This house is quite a change, but a good one." Rachel actually did love the place. Raising a family there sounded good to her.

"We'll fly you all out for Christmas. Christmas in Copenhagen maybe," Alexis suddenly offered only to have Katherine glare at her. "Or not, spend your first Christmas as a family alone." It finally hit her that Katherine was going to become Kate around that time. "We'll talk and decide, how does that sound?" Rick offered. "Sounds perfect Dad." Maybe she was off the hook for talking before thinking.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis and Katherine were waiting in the marina outside of where Alexis's commuter boat was docked. Hers had been completed and transported there only a few weeks ago. The island was something like four months from being complete with the most of it being finish work and furniture. It was already generating its own power that the contractor was using with no problem.

Alexis started waving when she saw her Grams get out of the taxi first followed by Rick carrying a baby girl and Rachel carrying the other baby girl. All either of them had ever seen were pictures, this was going to be exciting! Alexis was cooing the second Rick got close enough for Alexis to take her from him. "Which one is this?" Alexis couldn't tell them apart, partly because they were twins, but also because all she had were pictures. "That one is Angel Lynn and this one is Tabitha Jinn," Rachel replied. "Tabitha?" Alexis was still skeptical. "I named one of them and your father named the other one. You should have heard his first few choices before I accepted this one." Rachel rolled her eyes. "I _am_ standing right here, you know." Rick took exception to this attack on his choices of baby names.

"Yes, you are. Now let's go. I, for one, want to see this island." Rachel started moving toward the boat. "This is different," Rachel commented, remembering the other boat that was Katherine's. "This one's mine. It may look old but it has carbon fiber composites for the hull, twin turbo diesels for lots of power. I can snap a cover in place and of course the boom to get our scooters on and off," Alexis pointed out and they carefully boarded the boat.

The trip to the island didn't take as long this time. Like Katherine had done, Alexis opened it up some once clear of the canal. In the distance they could make out a bare-looking mountain that towered over the island along with all the windmills. There weren't as many boats this time and the contractor had left them a spot to tie up next to knowing that they were coming with babies.

"Ms. Castle and Ms. Beckett, welcome. Let me give you the full tour." He started off with the two existing generators. "They've been cleaned and the controls have all been tested and everything works." He moved on to the door that leads into the tunnel. "Down there is your battery back up. It's not enough to power everything, however, it will function and keep part of up and running until the systems are back up and running." Up a set of stairs took them to a pair of windmills. "Today is a good day and each of them is functioning. They are presently making more electricity than we are using so the excess is being used to charge the batteries." A trail took them to the solar power panels that were mounted on frames. "These are also functional and everything is being monitored just as planned." That told Alexis and Katherine that Sarah, their complete computer system, was up and operational.

Next in line came Katherine's double tiered planting beds. "As requested, we have left all the plants to you to select and install. The automatic watering system is installed and connected to the cistern, which is presently about 7/8s full thanks to last week's rain." He walked over to a pair of barn doors and opened them, showing the space inside that would house the two golf carts along with a pair of ATVs. "The golf carts and such are not here yet, but the electrical charging stations are in place."

Going through a side door took them into the shower and bathroom area before stepping into the pool area. "The solar hot water system is in place for the showers and everything is hooked up and running. The only thing we are missing are the personal items, like towels, sunscreen, and such." Then he took them out into the pool area. It was glass enclosed on all sides including the roof. "Again the plants that would go in here have been left to you as requested." He indicated the containers that didn't have plants in them. Some of which were large enough to hold trees, which was the plan.

"Now before we go inside, keep in mind this is where all the construction is taking place. There are no kitchen cabinets, in fact there is no kitchen floor tiles. Also all of the bathrooms have yet to be finished, we haven't even thought of painting anything. Also the elevator is giving us trouble so all we have are stairs," he warned them then opened one of the two double doors that looked to be made of solid wood with iron straps bolted into it.

True to his word, nothing was done. No tile and no carpet and no paint. Where the kitchen was going to go was easy to spot. "This and the activity room are the only two places that are the most complete," he explained as they walked into the theater room. "Ooo, Batman!" Rick was in love. The wallpaper of the Batmobile along with the wallpaper of books were in place, as were the ceiling, lights, and seats actually. "The Batman costume will show up with the rest of the furniture," he informed them. "You're going to have a Batman costume?" Rick didn't need to think he was in love, he now knew he was in love. "We'll be visiting constantly," he told them as Rachel moaned and Martha just remained silent. Rachel would put him in his place, she was sure of it.

"We need a diaper break," Rachel announced then headed to a balcony that actually had space to step out onto, since some of them were Juliet balconies. Since one needed changed they did both. "Alexis sweetie," Rachel called. "Are you expecting anyone?" Rachel pointed as they all watched a really large catamaran that was black and silver and looked really modern, just how Alexis liked her boats. "No, I don't know of anyone coming," Alexis replied. They all watched as it docked at the outside ring and a single male got off to tie it into place. Then he looked the island over before starting to walk for the bridge. He was too far away to identify who it was, however he didn't seem to be in a hurry as he walked, though he did seem to know where he was going.

"Shall we go meet our stranger?" Katherine asked as she thought about what spells she knew if it came to that. They were just at the edge of the dock area on this side when they made out who it was they were meeting. Katherine thought seriously of her spells. She'd answer the questions later if need be. Rick had quickly taken one of his girls which allowed Rachel to pull out the very same weapon she had gotten off of him the last time they had met. Neither of them had trusted what Mike had said.

Jackson mostly lifted his right arm while barely moving his left. "I'm not armed this time, I swear. I just want to talk a little before I leave. I'd raise my left arm but this is about as high as it goes anymore." He reached across and pulled his mostly unbuttoned top off to one side to reveal the nasty massive scar that he had to repair and replace part of his shoulder. Rachel lowered her weapon, but didn't actually put it away. "Why would we want to talk to you?" Rick remembered what he wanted to do to him last time. "Try standing in my shoes Richard. You're a writer and a family man, it can't be that hard for you. ...You were dead. I actually identified your dead, mutilated body. I took enough DNA evidence to confirm it with a CIA specialist and I got an incontrovertible match. Then you turned up alive! What the hell was I supposed to think? Simply open my arms and thank god that you're not dead? It doesn't work like that in my world. I'm still not sure how it's you, but I am glad that it is." Jackson told him.

"And that's your excuse for trying to kill my dad?" Alexis wasn't impressed. "I may not be the father you would approve of, but I've tried to follow what each of you did, to make sure you were safe."

"You, Richard, think back to a time when you were young. You were in a library and had left Martha behind who hadn't as yet figured out you had gotten away from here. Someone handed you a book and suggested that you read that one." Jackson gave him a few minutes. It took Rick backwards in time. He used to love going to the library and pestered his mother constantly to take him. Suddenly Rick tilted his head to look at him. He didn't see the resemblance but he was just a kid then. "That was you." Rick wasn't questioning.

"And you Alexis, you had gotten yourself lost and were in a location that you shouldn't have been. You were obviously scared when two gang members offered to help you out. You ran screaming and slammed into someone." Jackson gave her a minute. Alexis had no trouble seeing those boys but she just couldn't place the legs she had crashed into. "That was you. I don't remember ever looking up to see who you were, just that I was suddenly somewhere else and a second later Dad was all over me." Alexis suddenly felt better about him, kind of like she did when he gave them their tour of this island.

"Martha, Richard was still young and you hadn't yet found your next job. You didn't even have the money to move to the next city. I set two different scenarios in motion for you just in case. You got the job and you were off and running. And no, I didn't get you the job. I simply made sure that he saw you." The meaning was clear; she'd gotten the job because of her skill and not because Jackson bought her a job. Martha had worried about her and her son up until Rick got his first book published. It always seemed like they were just at the edge of disaster. Martha had no trouble picturing that day.

"So you're here to accomplish what?" Rachel questioned his motive for being there today.

"I'm retired, my injury forced it, though to be honest it was past time that I did. Doing what I did is more old school and not what the kids are interested in doing these days. The world is changing. I've decided to go sailing and where I am at the end of the day is where I am. I have the means to just do what I want where I want."

"Basically I came to say goodbye. If you get yourself into trouble again it'll be up to you to get out of it. I won't be there next time. ...I'm glad to know that I was wrong and that you're not dead, son. I don't understand how, but I _am_ glad. I may not be the father you probably dreamt of having, but I did and still do love you. You're my son, my only child. I think Alexis can understand the pain of knowing that you were dead. I do care Richard," Jackson told him. "I..." Rick didn't know what to say. He just wasn't used to having a dad. He knew about being a dad, but not having one. "It's okay Richard. I just came to say goodbye and to talk with Martha for a moment," said Jackson. "Me?" Martha had heard every word and remembered those hard days. While she had wished he had been there, she was thankful that he had at least tried. Jackson held out his good arm and offered her to walk with him.

"Do we trust him?" Alexis asked as she watched the two of them walk away with him already talking to her. "Where's he going to go?" Rachel retorted. They had a powered boat that could run him down easily with his catamaran.

They watched the two of them walk across the bridge and down the outside dock area. It was only when they got on his boat that Rachel reached for the weapon she had put away and started to walk and possibly jog for the bridge when suddenly they both showed up on the fly bridge. They watched the two of them and were stunned when suddenly Martha hugged him and seemed to actually kiss him. "Grams!?" Of all the people to kiss, she just had to kiss _him_ _!_

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

"Grams!?" Alexis was crying and couldn't stop the tears and didn't want to try. "It's all right my darling girl. You have your life in front of you and I'm not getting any younger." Martha hugged her. "Stay in love darling, Katherine is good for you," Martha whispered into her ear and did something she didn't always do, she said, "I love you." And she kissed her cheek. Alexis cried a little harder.

"Don't be mad kiddo. I loved him that one night long ago. Now I get a chance to find that love again. Hopefully it isn't too late for me." Martha hugged her son. "You'll always be young Mother, just don't let him take advantage of you. And call when you can." Richard sniffled and realized he was going to miss her.

"You're sure about this Martha? He's a CIA hit man." Rachel naturally hated him because of what he was and who he worked for. She didn't for a minute believe he was actually retired. "I'm sure dear, you just take lots of pictures of my beautiful granddaughters and keep my son in his place. If there's anyone who can make my son finally grow up, it's you." Martha hugged her.

"I still don't know how to thank you darling," Martha whispered into Katherine's ear. "You gave me my son back. I'll find a way to thank you, even if it takes me the rest of my life, I'll do it." Martha blinked back her tears. Katherine was all set to say she didn't need to do anything when Martha put a finger on her lips. "You brought the love out of Alexis and showed her what it meant to love someone. I don't know how or who sent you to us, but I thank him or her." Martha hugged her and kissed her head.

They were all waving as they watched both of them on the fly bridge piloting out of the marina in Copenhagen. Martha hadn't brought that many clothes and Richard was supposed to pack up all of her clothes and ship them to an address to be determined later.

They had toured his boat and were impressed with it. He could pilot it all alone and it was the perfect size for a couple. Seeing it had left Rachel with questions. She had always wondered how they had managed to purchase a $7.5 million home for $2.2 million, but she had kept her mouth shut. Did he really make that much money working for the CIA? And if his salary wasn't that much, did she really want to know where he had come by that kind of money? It was going to bug her she knew, but if he wanted to keep what he had done a secret, she was going to let him.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was literally shaking. This was it and she was actually frightened beyond measure. "Are you ready?" Alexis asked as she sat across from her at their dining room table in their new home on their island. The contractor was gone and they had four weeks to come up with a repair list. They were both out of classes at Copenhagen University for Christmas. They had only just moved in yesterday after having flown there using Katherine's plane to transfer everything they owned out of the loft.

Martha's things had been packed up and shipped out. Interestingly enough, they were in Spain at the time with ideas of entering the Mediterranean next. As to just where they would go after they did, they had no idea. Martha had sounded happy and she had said she was happy. Since the loft was Rick's again, he had removed everything that was personal, put it all in storage, and rented out the loft. Alexis's life in New York City was over. It would always be home but she had Katherine now and her home was in Copenhagen now.

Katherine nodded. "I'm really frightened Lex. What if this doesn't work the way we think it will?" Her very heart was at risk. She had recorded her message for Kate to watch and Alexis knew everything else. "It'll work Kat, it has to!" Alexis was just as frightened. If this didn't work she would lose the love of her life. It would be worse than losing her dad had been. Katherine had her heart, all of it.

Katherine placed a hand on the skull and picked up a coin; she gave Alexis one last look of love. "I love you, always remember that. I love you." Katherine felt the tears running down her face. "I love you too, Katherine Houghton Beckett and I have something to ask you and give you when you come back." She actually had the little, black velvet box already hiding in their new master bedroom.

Katherine was perplexed at that, but voiced her wish for how this would or should work, then blinked her eyes from being blinded. "Did it work?" Alexis asked a minute later.


	67. Chapter 67

**K and K 67**

"Did it work?" It suddenly hit her and she was momentarily disoriented. She looked around and didn't recognize anything. Then she turned her head and saw someone sitting across from her. And a crystal skull sat on the table along with two coins. "Alexis." Kate finally recognized her. "Kate?" Alexis asked hesitantly. Kate looked around. "Where are we?" Everything was different. "This is our home in Copenhagen. We moved in just yesterday; we're in the dining room," Alexis explained. "Is our timing good enough for you?" Alexis inquired.

Her question made Kate laugh. "Katherine's in for a shock. I was nursing one of our twin boys at the time," she said. "You and Dad had twins?" Alexis was happy for her and yet shocked at the same time. "How old are they?" Alexis was full of questions. "James and Tyler are just short of six months. They are so beautiful and I love them both very much." Alexis could almost feel the love of them flowing from her. "I have a ton of questions, but first," Alexis slid a closed laptop in front of her. "Katherine left you a message."

' _Of course she did'_ Kate opened the top and woke it up then saw her face staring back at her. Her face, her old face, not the face she had grown accustomed to. Kate pressed ENTER.

" _Hi_ _. This is_ _my very last chance to talk to myself."_ Kate and Katherine both chuckled. _'I'll admit I'm_ _frightened_ _. I know magic and you've likely learned about it by now. What happens when you use the last coin_ _?_ _Do we get what we both wish. Do we really change or was this just a vision of what could have been_ _?_ _"_ Katherine actually paused and looked contemplative. _"I only see one option, we do what we want and pray that it works the way we hope it will. I really want to stay here. I'll miss the world I grew up in and all the magic that I would have had access to. Which reminds me."_ Katherine suddenly got excited. _"It worked! Can you believe that? The spell I memorized and then copied worked. There was a minor complication_ _though_ _. Rick had a little memory loss which I'm sure is my fault. I screwed up somewhere,_ _but_ _even today I can't_ _find_ _the mistake I made. Maybe I would if I had access to the original_ _scroll_ _. His memory loss has been beneficial in the long run."_

" _We've had a few problems that Alexis will explain. Your past has also caught up to us and provided us with a scare. So you know_ _,_ _I sold the townhouse in Kansas City. We talked about keeping the car and we actually did have it transported to Copenhagen. It's sitting in a rented garage space in town. We decided that if we wanted to go somewhere outside of Copenhagen we would need a car."_

" _The house that I called a prison in Canada is presently up for sale and while we've had a couple of offers, we've rejected both of them so you - I - presently still own it. We're keeping the home in Fiji_ _._ _N_ _ot just because you asked it of me, but we love the place and have plans_ _to_ _go back next summer."_ Katherine paused and looked at her notes. _"Oh, yeah. Rick married an ex-AG agent."_ Katherine kept talking, however, Kate exclaimed, "OH SHIT!" She could just imagine the trouble that caused. _"She's actually a nice lady who drilled me with questions. She still doesn't know the truth in case you get to meet them and the girls. Rachel gave birth to twin girls a few months ago, you should see them, they are both so precious."_

" _We also had a serious scare that Alexis will explain. ...Now to the more critical item, time. We're both in school here in Copenhagen, taking one or more of our boats into the city for school and shopping._ _We_ _get around on our scooters. All of our boats, the two commuters, the yacht, and even the boat that will be our future Veterinar_ _y_ _Hospital_ _are_ _also here. You should see them, each is amazing."_

" _The jet skies aren't here since we haven't gone looking yet. However, back to time. This is Christmas break which only lasts two weeks, so I hope that's enough time for you, unless you want to take my classes for me."_ Katherine started laughing. "No thanks," said Kate. _"We quickly found out that you taking the classes that I didn't, didn't actually help me much. So I'm taking all the classes that you did before I can take the classes that Alexis is already taking. I never knew school was so hard. I still can't believe all of the things this world has worked out. Oh, I HATE math. Hate it, hate it, hate it_ _!_ _"_ Kate looked at Alexis who was snickering since she had already heard all this before. " _Two weeks. I hope that is enough for you since I can't afford to fall behind in my classes. Go talk to Simon, go see Rick's wife Rachel and their two beautiful girls. Memorize or look up something to take back with you."_

" _Tell me everything, I'm sure you've done some amazing things by now. Go somewhere, anywhere you want. You have Simon to take you anywhere. Actually I'm envious, we only just moved in and I've only slept here one night."_ Katherine stuck her tongue out at her which made Kate chuckle.

" _I'm hoping you have had the time you needed. You asked for a year and due to school, I've given you close to one year and nine months. I promise to be nice and not screw anything up. I'm looking forward to seeing what your life is like now. Two weeks_ _! B_ _ye other me. It's been a pleasure meeting you even i_ _f_ _the beginning wasn't all that nice, at least for me."_ Katherine waved and began to reach for the laptop but pulled back. _"OH, and don't forget about the age change. If I'm going to be in school for another seven years, I'm going to need those years back. Bye sister of mine_ _!"_ Katherine laughed and reached for the laptop then the video ended.

"So what's first? A lot has happened. Somewhere you want to go that you'll never see again?" Alexis questioned. "A tour first maybe? Where's Rick?" Kate wanted to see this world's Rick, see what was different between the two of them. "Do they know about me?" she asked. "Dad does, but Rachel doesn't. Kat and I think Rachel suspects that Kat isn't who she says she is, but she hasn't pushed. We're both thinking it's because she loves Dad and she's been good for him. Which reminds me, my dad met his dad, my grandfather. He was CIA and he found out about you and what you did."

Kate clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, god no! I'm so sorry! I did my very best to hide myself and keep from getting caught. ...CIA huh? Is he still a problem?" Meaning did she have to hunt him down and kill him, because she would if she had to. "Not anymore. Actually he and Grams are off together sailing around on his boat. Last we heard from Grams, they had just stopped in Gibraltar. They're spending their time going anywhere they want. I don't know how he can afford it, though Grams swears she isn't using the money Dad left her."

"My tour?" Kate asked which had Alexis jumping up. "We can take the stairs up from here and then the elevator back down," Alexis said. "Elevator! You lucky girl! I have a five story home including the deck on the roof, and all I have are stairs. Which reminds me, we need to do some research on how to get a hot tub up on the roof and how we're going to accomplish that," Kate told her.

"I like it Alexis, I really do. Naturally my two favorite rooms are the theater room and the game room. It almost feels like you're in the Millennium Falcon when you're that room. Floor plan might be a little off for that, but I like it." Kate stopped when she found the pen and paper that Katherine had left behind. There was a note but Kate decided to read it later. If it was a note, it was likely personal meant just for her. "I've got a couple of names for you since you are trying to sell the house in Canada. These two might be personally interested or know of someone who is." Kate wrote them down then ripped it off and handed it to Alexis.

"Christmas is soon I take it? Do we need to go shopping? ...Strike that. I _need_ to go shopping." It suddenly struck Kate that she needed to do something, buy something, and get it wrapped before her time here was up.

"I have a question," Alexis said softly and Kate waited patiently. "Do you really think this will work?" Alexis was truly frightened about this. "I wish I knew, I really do. Rick and I have talked this through using his knowledge and there are too many things we don't like that could possibly happen. This might all be my imagination as the skull reads my mind and gives me a life that I wanted. I'm just sitting at my table in Canada all this time, living an entire life in the blink of an eye. Is there someone inside the skull that has control? Is he building us all up to what could be, only at the last second to show his true colors and rip it all away?"

"I don't have answers, god only knows that I wish I did. I want to go back and stay there. I love Rick so very much. I love my sons and want to watch them grow up. Yes, the pain was tremendous giving birth to them and having twins was a surprise, but I love them. I can already feel myself missing them. We both decided to believe what we want. It'll work and I'll live like it will. Even if I am actually dreaming the entire life, it's still a life so long as it lasts till the day I die. I'll deal with the pain of suddenly being back in Canada when or if that time comes."

"Now where's that laptop?" Kate had things she wanted to do and only had two weeks. "Everywhere actually, thanks to Sarah. Every panel can have a keyboard, all you have to do is set it up with a couple of buttons," Alexis explained. Since they were in the kitchen because it was lunchtime, Alexis took her over to the panel that was part of the countertop.

"How's it coming?" Alexis asked later as she set down lunch in front of her. "I think I'm trying to do the impossible here. Sure, I can come up with a way to get hot water to the tub. We've got flowing hot and cold water in the kitchen and the bathrooms, but how do I get the water to jet out and create bubbles?" Kate shook her head and turned it off to eat her lunch.

"I need to memorize a few more one pan dishes, I've used up all the ones I remember and not all of them have been big hits. I thought cooking for one was hard! You should try cooking for six who each have different tastes," Kate mentioned. "All on a wood stove," Alexis added. "That stove I did research on has been a life saver. I found a man in the city willing to try and make one. He cast the pieces, brought it to the house, assembled it, and it's worked out great. I think he's making a fortune making them for others using the design I brought back." Kate started chuckling.

"And your bra and panty business?" Alexis inquired. Kate brightened up and smiled. "It's doing really well actually. I even got a letter from the leader of the city I sell them in, followed by a meeting with her. I can't keep up with demand. She offered the use of an architect for my new shop. As soon as we get the designs, we're going to buy a plot of land in the mountain town where we live and use magical instruments to build it. She's actually looking for women willing to move to be my employees. Have you ever heard of such a thing? A city leader searching for women who want jobs to sew my bras, panties, and pads." Kate was still shocked at that. However, it only added to her fears that she was dreaming this life.

"Sounds nice actually. Sarah has been loaded with every recipe that's ever been published along with a lot of other things. She's voice activated and since your voice is Kat's, you can use her. Just ask her for what you are looking for and she can help you. She's also connected to the internet so she can help you search." Neither Alexis or Katherine had any experience using her. That information had Kate opening her eyes. She decided to test it and turned the table back on. "Recipes for one pan dishes please," Kate requested. "Please be more specific. Italian, Spanish, Chinese. Do you have a specific request? Salt free for example," responded Sarah. "WOW!" Kate was going to like this. "She also has every movie that's ever been sold on DVD," Alexis added. "Show me the list of every country you have for one pan recipes." Kate tried to narrow it down, and immediately saw a list start scrolling down on the table.

"I'll be in the exercise room if you need me. Oh, and Sarah is also the home phone that's actually a satellite phone. Only a few numbers have been recorded into her. Right now just my dad, Rachel, Grams, Simon, and each of us. However she has access to every phone book on the planet. Call anyone you wish. She can scramble the calls if you ask her to do so." Alexis headed for the elevator to go to their bedroom to change before going back downstairs.

"Voice activated huh? Sarah, I need to search for a Christmas present. Are you capable of deleting my search after I'm done?" Kate didn't want Alexis or Katherine finding out how she found it or what it cost. "Yes, is it local or in another country?" Sarah was willing to help her search. "I have a company in mind who specializes in something, well two somethings actually. They are in Germany to be precise. I wonder where Simon is now?" Could she use Simon or was she going to have to fly commercial? "Simon is in Copenhagen at this time. You are scheduled to fly to New York City to spend Christmas Day with Richard Castle and his family in Rye, New York," Sarah informed Kate or reminded her, since Katherine would have known that.

Kate smiled. It was a stroke of luck! But then her mood soured. Was it another example that she was dreaming all of this? "Call Simon for me please, I'm flying to Berlin as fast as he can arrange it." Kate wanted to leave something behind even if it took him longer than than two weeks to complete it; he could ship it when done.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine blinked trying to adjust to the change. The temporary blindness told her it had worked. The room was familiar. "Their bedroom." Next she noticed something else, or to be more accurate, she _felt_ something. Looking down, she realized she was naked from the waist up, and that she was holding a baby that was suckling at her breast. Her large breast no less! "Boy or girl?" she said to herself as she continued to feel the baby pull on her nipple. That was the best way she could describe it. Then she shifted the baby a little so she could see. "Boy. Now we just need a name." It was then that she noticed that her other breast was leaking a little; she also felt that breast was starting to cause her some discomfort.

Suddenly Rick opened the door and walked in holding another baby. "GET OUT!" Katherine yelled and startled the baby so much that he let go of her nipple. "Sorry, I'm sorry." Katherine quickly positioned the baby back at her nipple. "Get out, I'm naked," she hissed at Rick. "I've seen you naked babe, and even feeding our sons," he responded, bouncing the baby who started to react to his mother's unhappy voice. "No, you haven't! Now get out!" Katherine snarled at him. Rick was utterly confused as he held a hungry baby boy, however he backed out of the room and closed the door again.

"Hormones!" he grumbled, wondering when they would end. Then things went downhill when Jenny's baby girl started crying which instantly got the hungry baby in his arms to join her. "CRAP!" Now what did he do? It took only a moment for Angela to quiet leaving Rick guessing Jenny was feeding her. He had heard the reason for the name and decided it was appropriate. Angela was a play on Angel, a being of good, who was in fact part Demon because of her mother.

Rick had a problem. He tried to get Tyler to calm down just as Kevin showed up. "What's wrong?" Kate always seemed to know just how to get the boys to quiet down. Rick nodded his head at the closed door. "Hormones," he replied. "Still?" Kevin didn't understand. "Kate was sitting there feeding James when I went in with Tyler since he's hungry too." Rick kept bouncing him and gave him his pinky finger to suck on which helped only briefly until Tyler realized it didn't produce any milk. "She yelled at me to get out," explained Rick.

Meanwhile the baby stopped nursing. Katherine tried to get him to go back to feeding but he wouldn't. "Had enough huh?" She knew enough to burp him. "This feels really weird," Katherine said to herself. After she got him to burp, she stood up, placed him on the bed, and found a top to put on for now. Picking the baby back up, she opened the door and was all set to yell for Rick when she found him and Kevin right outside with a very unhappy baby boy.

"Um, hi." Katherine was sorry for yelling at him. How was he to know that she wasn't Kate? "Hi Rick, Kevin. ...Sorry about that, I was...I mean, I was... I'm Katherine," she told them. "You two changed again?" Kevin was shocked. She nodded. That answered a lot of questions for Rick. "I take it you two had a baby," she stated, holding the baby close to her. She couldn't resist breathing him in. "Twins actually, you have James and this is Tyler." Tyler had waited long enough, he could hear his mother's voice and he was hungry, so he started showing he had pipes. "He's hungry," Rick said loudly over his crying child. "Trade you," he offered and they worked at swapping babies. _'Another baby to breastfeed.'_ Was this Kate's life now? "And stay out." Katherine pointed her finger at him. He may have seen everything and more but that was Kate and she was Katherine.

An hour later Katherine found herself downstairs at the dining room table which was new. She could see something else new in the kitchen. She asked a question and heard all about the Colossus, a Demon Tree, and pirates that actually had real cannon in what to her sounded like an old British Ship of the Line, not that she understood how that was even possible. "Mirrors?" Katherine asked. "You've been busy while I've been gone," she commented and suddenly heard nails clicking on the wood floors. She watched four wolf puppies come scrambling up and race for the open door leading to the garden outside. "Did someone have puppies?"

The sound of more nails on wood had her looking and she saw Dapper come loping up the stairs. The puppies were allowed up to all the floors now so long as they went outside first and pooped and peed. "DAPPER!" Katherine opened her arms wide and found herself squeeing, petting, and kissing his fur. "It's so good to see you Dapper." The puppies were back. "Are these yours? You're such a good boy." Katherine messed with his head a little and kissed him again. Then she hugged him and let the tears flow. After two weeks she was never going to see him or them again.

One week later, they found themselves back in Silverymoon with a number of potty and feeding stops along the way. "I'll meet you at the inn," Katherine told them, hoping the boys could do without her for a little while. They didn't have breast pumps in this world.

"How may I help you." A different young Elf met her at the door. "My name is Katherine Houghton Beckett, I would like to speak with your lead priestess please." Katherine had a few things to tell her and wanted to ask her a question. "She doesn't see anyone anymore, is there someone else you would like to see?" That was not what Katherine wanted to hear. "Please convey to her that I'm the granddaughter of Alexis Beckett." Hopefully the name still had some pull. By the look on his face it did. "Please wait here." And he hurried off.

She was beginning to think she had been forgotten and wanted to find a place to sit, when he finally came back. "If you'll follow me please." He lead her to a room Katherine remembered well, however it was empty, though it was warm. "Please wait, she will be here soon." He withdrew which allowed Katherine to sit down.

It took a number of minutes. When the door finally opened, in walked a young Elf helping the older Elf into the room. She helped her sit down in her high-backed chair then placed a lovely blanket around her. She was trying to tuck it in around her when the elderly Elf had had enough and shooed her out of the room.

"I am pleased to see you again child, I presume you have something to tell me," she stated, looking at Katherine intently. "Are you alright?" She had done so much for her and Katherine reached across the table hoping she would reach at least a little. Katherine squeezed her hands when she placed them in hers. "I think my time here is almost at an end. I'm thankful I lasted long enough to see you." Katherine shook her head. "You're an Elf, you can't die." Katherine blinked back her tears.

"I've lived a long and good life, save your tears for someone who deserves them. Perhaps I will get to meet Alexis for a moment and possibly run across your parents if I'm fortunate enough to be a messenger for my god like your parents are for yours. So tell me child, how long are you here and did it work?" She weakly squeezed Katherine's hands. "I've got maybe one more week here. Just enough time to look around and make it back to her home. ...And it mostly worked. I fear I made a mistake in my copy; Rick ended up with partial amnesia. He didn't remember certain things. Alexis, his daughter, is happy. Rick is married and they recently had twin girls. They are both so precious." Katherine was in love with them and she knew it.

The elderly Elf shook her head. "That's not how magical scrolls work dear. I know you haven't had any training in writing them. If you have time tomorrow, I'll have someone teach you all you need to know. You can make your own scrolls. Even your Alexis will be able to use them if you teach her how to read them."

"Alexis will be able to cast real magic? She's going to love that! I'll be here first thing in the morning, though I will need to take frequent breaks. Kate and Rick had twins while I was gone. Breast feeding them is such a joy and I'm going to miss them," said Katherine.

"Motherhood, it is an amazing and satisfying thing if you are willing to put in the work. You met my grandson, he escorted you here. As for your scroll, that's not how they work. Scrolls either work or they don't. If he has memory loss, he was meant to have memory loss. It isn't your fault child, this is something you will learn tomorrow." She smiled at the young woman in front of her who still had much to learn.

"I have a question. ...When Kate uses the last coin, we believe that we will change places again for the last time since we will be out of magical coins. I added my wish to regain my lost thirteen years, Kate has agreed to do the same." Katherine paused. "So what is your question child?" the Elf inquired. "I want to know if this is all real? Are we actually changing places? What if, ...I don't know. What if this is her dream that I'm a part of because of the magic? What if I'm still right where I was when we changed places the first time, traveling with Rick and my new friends toward a town?" Katherine wasn't sure she was going to get an answer but she needed to ask.

"I'm afraid my answer wouldn't help you child, since I would be a part of this dream too. Even this answer is exactly what your mind is anticipating and made it part of the dream. And what does it matter? If the dream lasts till the day you die, hopefully after living a full and happy life, is that not living and real to you? Be the best you can be and live your life as best you can. A full and happy life, whether real or a dream, is still a full and happy life. Don't let it worry you child, just live your life. Make your parents happy, and you and the people that love you and love you back," she advised to ease Katherine's fears.

"Come back in the morning Katherine Houghton Beckett, granddaughter of Council member Alexis Harper Beckett. It has been a pleasure seeing you again." She lightly squeezed Katherine's hands.


	68. Chapter 68

**K and K 68**

Katherine left them to do what they wanted to do while in the city. "Just don't forget we're leaving for home the day after tomorrow," Rick advised her. "I only need today, I can join in what you have planned for tomorrow," Katherine replied then headed for the Elven Temple yet again. "Bring the boys when they get hungry and I'll take a break."

However, even getting close, the place had an air of... oppressive gloom to it. Before, it had looked like it was still young, green, and vibrant. Now the place was dark, the plants looked ready for winter, even though it was winter. It looked sad. "Hello Mistress Beckett, we've been expecting you. Please come this way." A young Elf, who looked to be the elder Elven High Priestess's grandson, guided her to a section of the Temple she had never been to before.

"Sage Liam will be teaching you everything you need to know about magical scrolls." He turned to leave her with an older male Elf. "Wait, has something happened? This place feels dark somehow." Katherine couldn't quite place what was wrong. "My grandmother, our High Priestess, left us last night. We are in preparation for her funeral in a few days after the rest of the family arrives," he informed her. Katherine brought a hand to her mouth. "NO! I just saw her yesterday. She looked tired but... I'm so sorry. It's a weak word, I know. She did _so_ much for me." She wiped away the tears that had started.

"I can arrange for you to attend the service if you like. My grandmother appears to have been taken with you, though she would not explain," he said. "I really wish I could, truly. But I'm headed home with my friends the day after tomorrow, a three day trip. Two days later and I'll not see this city ever again." She wasn't going to see a lot of things soon and that left her even sadder and still a little scared, no matter what the Elven High Priestess had told her.

"It sounds like you are taking a long trip. I will pray for your safe travel. I'm sure grandmother will be watching. I'll leave you to your class. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Katherine Houghton Beckett." He bowed formally and left her to her class.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Alexis had to go with Kate to Berlin since they didn't have the time to go back to Copenhagen before flying on to New York for Christmas. It also meant using a taxi since the Porsche barely fit two people and they had a lot of presents to take with them. "I'm assuming Katherine bought some of these," Kate said as she loaded them into the taxi. "Half of them, yeah, and she wouldn't tell me what they are, so we're all going to be surprised," Alexis responded as she smiled since she was looking forward to the holiday visit. Rick had actually sent her an official invitation and a separate one for Katherine that she had shared with her. It was ornate, filled with little drawings of Christmas. It even had a white paper snowflake with their names on them.

"Interesting place," Alexis commented, since she wasn't sure just what this place was from the outside. "Go explore Berlin or something. Go see the Gates maybe." Kate prevented her from entering. "I'm not going with you?" Alexis wanted to see what this place was. Kate shook her head. "It's my Christmas present to Katherine and you, so, no." Alexis was much like her father and really wanted to know. "Now, go away Alexis, I'll not have you spoiling it." Alexis groaned but walked away until Kate went inside, then she plastered her nose up against the glass door with her hands over her eyes to try and see in. Suddenly Kate showed up which had her jumping back. She watched Kate smile and place a black-out curtain over the glass door. "DRAT!" Though she did feel a little bad about being caught.

It was hours later and Kate looked at the sketch that he had done. "Have you got enough to paint this? I've given you a few pictures and did my best to describe it." Kate didn't want to leave till she was certain. "I think I've got the general idea, I'll add the plants and I have your photos and my sketches of the others for which you have given the okay," he replied. She nodded. "Here's your full payment since I won't be able to pay you after the fact. Just don't screw with me," she warned him, even though the threat was hollow since she wouldn't be in a position to follow through. "Not to worry, I like Christmas presents. Though you do realize I won't be done by Christmas or even New Years for that matter?" he asked her. "Not important, just get it right and ship it to the address I've given you," she told him. He pulled up the page of instructions and the address. "Copenhagen, Denmark. Not a problem," he assured her.

"Thanks, now I have to fly. Christmas in New York. It'll be a first for me," Kate mentioned, leaving out "And the last." She took out her cell phone to meet up with Alexis to do some tourist stuff before going to their hotel for the night. Then they would fly to New York City in the morning.

"What are we doing in here? We already have presents for Dad," Alexis mentioned. "This is for Simon. He's been a good friend and has never let me down," Kate said her. "We bought one for him, too," Alexis remarked since they had presents for almost everyone they had ever met. "That's nice, but this one is mine, and I happen to know his size." Kate smiled since she had done some snooping once.

Kate came out with a boxed and wrapped full-length winter coat and a pair of leather gloves. "Now we need to get to our hotel so I can drop this off, then we can become tourists. I'm going to show you places in this city that you've never seen." Kate had been here several times before.

"This, my young Alexis, is **Kreuzberg's Prinzipal Cocktail Lounge**. It even has a 1920s burlesque show that we're going to watch," Kate informed her. Alexis's head was on a swivel as she tried to take it all in. It was basically a small place and the stage took up a third of the space. All the men who worked there were in period costume as were the ladies, complete with bow ties and feather boas. They even had a drink straight from the 1920s. Alexis watched the show and blushed. It was one of the raciest shows she had ever seen, at least live and in person.

It was getting late. A happy and tipsy Alexis held onto Kate when they finally left. To her eyes, she saw Katherine instead of Kate. "Now it's time to get some food in you and I know just the place," Kate told her.

 **Thomas-Eco, Preregistration 25, Berlin**. "This place has the best schnitzel in the city and it doesn't cost a fortune," Kate said and took her deep into the locals-only area, far from where the tourists were located. She ordered for both of them, no beer, not wanting to mix drinks. "I didn't know you spoke German," Alexis commented blearily after the waitress left. "I also speak Russian, Spanish, and Italian. I only know enough Chinese to get me into trouble and, if I'm lucky, enough to get me back out. So was your island worth the wait?" Kate took a sip of her iced tea.

"You've seen it. It's amazing, though we still need to plant a lot of plants to hide the mountain and get the fruit trees. Our architect offered to help find someone who could deliver and help us plant them if Kat's willing to let them. Give it a few years and the plants should hide the mountain nicely. We've only spent the one night in it though, before Kat used the skull and coin," Alexis responded.

Alexis spent the time explaining what happened with her grandfather and that her grandmother was with him, sailing around wherever they wanted to go. "So Katherine's spells have come in handy. How's she taking being in school?" Kate questioned. "It's a little hard on her. She just hasn't had the history or classes that we did. I'm trying to help her. We've reduced her class load this semester, so we're hopeful," Alexis told her. Kate nodded. "There aren't any schools in our little town of Relfrin and I haven't thought to see if there are any in the city." The boys weren't old enough for school yet and even when they were, it was still going to be home schooling since she didn't want to move.

"OH-MY-GOD!" Alexis's eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open as the waitress placed their meals in front of them. "Did I forget to mention that the portions here are huge?" Kate teased while smiling, and survived the daggers Alexis threw at her.

Alexis didn't even finish off half of it and felt a little better when Kate did only marginally better. The bill was another shock. €7.99 each plus drinks and tip. "I have to remember this place," Alexis said and took out her cell phone to store the location and phone number after she asked for it.

Come the next morning, they were at the airport bright and early. "Simon," Kate greeted him before they walked out to the plane. "This is for you." She handed over his wrapped Christmas present. "Thank you Ms. Kaye, that's very kind of you." Simon smiled, pleased to have been remembered. "And this is a little something for your girlfriend. Hopefully you're still together." Kate had forgotten to ask Alexis first. "Yes ma'am, we are, and I'm sure she'll love it. Yours is in the plane. The galley is stocked, the flight plan has been submitted, the plane is fueled, and we don't need to stop anywhere else," he informed her. Since she hopefully wouldn't get to do this again, she lifted up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek a little longer than required. "Thank you Simon, you're a good friend. I'm glad I ran into you." Simon started to blush since he didn't see this side of Serena very often. "Thank you Ms. Kaye, I'm glad to." He had a job that paid well, had found a girlfriend, and he was still flying. The fact that it was a state of the art plane didn't hurt.

Kate found her gift on a seat inside the plane. It was smaller than hers to Simon, and shaking it lightly gained her nothing except a snicker from Alexis. "My last Christmas." Kate sat down and felt sad. "They don't celebrate Christmas there?" Alexis was a little shocked, though Katherine not understanding the concept should have warned her. Kate shook her head. "No Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny, no Thanksgiving Dinner. No Tooth Fairy, either. I cooked everyone a feast and even invited Seven and his family over for Thanksgiving. I played it off as starting new traditions." She had also explained Christmas and had even bought everyone a present. Being here meant she was going to miss the first one.

Kate saw Alexis's face. "Seven is a blacksmith who lives just around the corner from us. Stereo typical monstrous black guy who has way too many muscles for his own good. His two sons look after our horses and wolves when we go out on missions through a mirror," she explained. "Can you explain the mirrors again, dumb it down for me." Alexis wasn't used to talking about magic or how it worked. So Kate spent some time telling her what Guri had told them. "Any world?" Alexis asked. "Pretty much, yeah."

"So it's possible that you could travel from that world to this one since you have the _'Primary'_ mirror." Alexis used air quotes. "Don't get your hopes up. Guri warned us that the number of other worlds the mirror could see is literally infinite. Think up a big number and double, triple it. You stand a better chance of winning the Powerball while being struck by lightning, only during the summer solstice, while standing naked in the middle of a wheat field," Kate warned her. "So it's hard," Alexis stated calmly, not the least bit fazed or daunted at the difficulty. She wasn't the one doing the searching, hoping to get lucky. Kate laughed. "Well, they also don't have a Powerball and I'm not standing naked in a wheat field during a thunderstorm," she told her.

"So start a Powerball lottery company. Do you have any idea how many millions they rake in for cities or states that have them?" Alexis asked. Her question did, however, leave Kate thinking. She had yet to see Lady Austriel Silverhand, so maybe she had something to offer her. "Fine, I'll explain it to them. I just don't know how we'll create the cards. I don't think they have that silver stuff to scrape off. The balls sound easy enough though."

"Is there anywhere else you want to go? I brought the laptop so you can look up stuff. Memorize those recipes maybe, take something else back with you." Alexis tried wracking her brain, when suddenly the plane took a sudden drop of something like 500 feet. Simon's voice came out over the speaker system, "Sorry about that. Better buckle up back there. I'm going up to see if I can get above it." Kate buckled up in her chair while Alexis hopped off the sofa and into a chair to buckle up. "That takes care of the glass of wine."

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine was amazed at what it took to make a magical scroll correctly each and every time. Let alone how they worked. If you needed some specialties like a 5,000 gold piece amethyst she watched it vanish just as she completed writing the spell as it was absorbed into the scroll. Meaning you didn't need it later when you read the scroll.

Katherine was almost skipping over to the inn where she was going to meet them for a very early dinner. The dinners there had changed the second they started using the spices that Kate and the others had sold in town. "How are James and Tyler?" Katherine asked and watched as Rick lifted up the blankets in which they were wrapped and saw them sleeping.

"We met some people that came through Relfrin after we did. They told us a cold front had come in and it had started to snow. We may need to leave early in the morning since it may continue to snow and we have three days of travel ahead of us," Rick warned her. "Or, we get trapped here. I'm not risking the boys in that kind of cold." Katherine may not be their mother, but she wasn't getting Kate's children killed. "They can have our **Rings of Warmth** that we're still wearing, even you," Jenny suggested, unwilling to risk her daughter either. Katherine didn't know anything about those rings or the other one she was wearing. "I've missed a lot haven't I?"

"If we're leaving, there's something I need to do while I still can." She stopped eating, stood up, and looked the boys over. "Two maybe three hours?" she asked hesitantly, not sure of the schedule. "At this age they'll be fine," Rick confirmed. Katherine kissed each baby boy and ran for the place before it closed.

It was easily three hours later and the artist had stayed till he got the sketch right. "You're _sure_ this is what you want?" He had never seen anything like it. Glass walls, glass roofs? It had him wondering about this lady. Still she was willing to pay 100% up front, including his fee for delivering it to Relfrin. "It's perfect, just don't mess with any of it. Plants, white towers, silver panels that shine in the middle, lots of glass, and water all around. And don't screw with the colors either," Katherine warned him.

"It'll take about three months including delivery," he told her. "That's fine, just don't damage it during delivery." She traced a finger lightly over the sketch. It wasn't a picture or perfect, but it was close. She paid him and ran for the inn since she was late.

Flying up the stairs, she knew which was her room from the babies crying and her aching breasts. "Sorry, I tried to hurry." She picked up who she thought was James. "Hand me a towel so I can cover up, please," Katherine asked Rick while she sat down and worked at exposing a breast without stripping in front of him or giving him a peek. "I know, I know, you're hungry too. Just know that it was worth it and that you're not going to remember this." She used her spare hand to play with Tyler.

It was very cold come morning, and they had to go on a buying spree for something warmer than what they were wearing. Jenny gave her ring to Angela while the boys got the other two rings.

As expected, they had to make a few stops for diaper changes and to feed the three of them, though Angela, being younger, didn't last as long as James and Tyler. They stopped at the bottom of the mountain and looked up at the snow. "This is likely going to take us an extra day at least." Rick didn't like the look of it. "It's okay, honest. If we change places before we get home, it's fine. I did what I wanted most. Thank you so much everyone. I know you're Kate's friends now..." Lanie interrupted her. "We met you first and you're a good friend Katherine, and while we'll have Kate, we'll still miss you." Katherine saw them all nod.

"Sadly, I missed Christmas with Alexis and her family, and I'm going to miss something called New Years Eve," Katherine commented while they were resting for the night inside the tent, snug and warm. "Kate explained it to us and it sounds nice. We even have presents for each of us waiting for us. No offense, but it was Kate's idea," Rick told her. Katherine shook her head. "None taken, I even got you guys one, though it won't show up for about three months," she said. "Oh, Katherine, you didn't have to do that, it's not your holiday as we understand it," Jenny spoke up. Katherine shook her head. "It was my pleasure, besides it didn't cost me a single copper piece since I spent Kate's money," Katherine laughed, which soon had the others doing the same.

Come morning when everyone need to go, they found two feet of snow had fallen overnight. Javi came back inside since he was first outside. "I think we may be staying here for a little while," he informed them which got everyone else peering outside as the babies slept. "This is _not_ good," Lanie stated.

"I know you can create water, what about food? The boys and Angela have us, but what do we eat?" Katherine asked. Rick pulled out a spoon from his backpack once the tent flaps were back down. "That doesn't look very tasty or filling," she said warily. "It's magical and creates a day's worth of food for four people and we have two of them," Rick told her. "You might want to change places with Kate about now. According to her, what it makes tastes like wet cardboard." Jenny grinned after seeing the face she was making.

They didn't change places that day, so Katherine and Jenny were given what real food they still had and could have the next day as well since the others ate what the spoon made. Katherine was curious so she took a fingertip full and almost spat it back out. "I'm sorry guys, that stuff is _terrible."_ She tried to clean out the taste from her mouth by drinking the hot tea Jenny offered.

Katherine was up in the morning and went outside to do her business. She came back inside but held the tent flap open so she could look outside. They were up on the mountain a little and she could look out into the valley. "It's beautiful." The light hit the snow and she was blinded for a moment.

"It's beautiful, but just where the hell are we?" Kate demanded. She turned her head and looked inside and saw their tent with everyone inside with Jenny's tent up also. "Babe, where are we?" She watched him pick up Tyler. "Kate?" He knew it was coming, but each time caught him by surprise. "Tyler!" She walked over and took her baby from his arms and held him and kissed him. "I've missed you two. ...Three." Kate reached up to kiss Rick. "Now where are we?"

"Trapped on the mountain on our way from Silverymoon to Relfrin. A cold front came in and dumped a lot of snow on us. We've already been here three days, today will be four," Rick told her. "Do we have food?" Even the boys weren't going to get fed if she didn't. "We brought our two spoons. We're out of fresh food," he informed her and waited for it. "OH GOD! Wet cardboard?" She was thinking about starving to death except Tyler wanted attention. "What I do for love..." She shook her head.

Kate used her free hand and ran it though her hair. "Am I older?" And looked at Rick.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate was outside with a glass of milk in hand, looking out over the lake by Rick and Rachel's house. She had heard of the plans to add a concrete dock far out into the water and then get a boat to have some fun in and maybe teach the girls how to fish, not that she had any faith that this Rick knew anything about fishing. However, it did sound like something this Rick would think of doing.

Kate had been impressed with the presents, even the ones that she, meaning Katherine, had purchased. It had been a Christmas that she hadn't had in 20 plus years. Christmas had just become another day to her in this life.

It made her determined to bring at least part of that to her sons in a world that didn't even know what Christmas was. She had even smiled, watching Rick act like a little kid as he shot off his illegal fireworks that he had gotten from Canada. She had noticed Rachel shaking her head and smiling at her man child. Still they had all enjoyed the display and it didn't hurt that Rachel didn't call the police to have him arrested or at least fined.

"Thinking of leaving us?" Alexis's sudden voice had her jumping and turning around. The outside table had the skull and the two coins, only one of which was still magical. "Thinking about it. I've enjoyed Christmas with your family. It has been a really long time. Your Rick really is part child," Kate chuckled.

"You don't have to leave just yet. We're not flying back until later today. You can wait until we get home. School doesn't start again till tomorrow morning," Alexis reminded her. "I know, but I'm missing my sons and Rick, too. He and I haven't had sex since I gave birth to them. It feels like the right time to go home, I suddenly find myself missing being intimate with him." Kate told her. "Is it home?" Alexis asked. Kate thought for a moment. "Yeah, it is. It's a life I gave up years ago, and all the magic in that world is just a bonus. I'd like to think my parents are smiling down on me finally. It's still a challenge not to think like I used to. To not go online and look for another job that might require me to kill someone else. Add to the millions I already have. I've got a lot of blood on my hands." Kate looked down at them and could almost see all of that blood. At least until Alexis took them in her hands. "Then go home and make everyone happy. You're different there, you have a life there. People who love you."

"I still do a lot of killing, even there," Kate admitted. "Kat explained her world. You're killing evil monsters. You're killing, yes, and so are your friends, but those you kill are evil. They kill for the sake of killing. Orcs, trolls, countless numbers of other creatures. She even told me they have a T-Rex somewhere," Alexis informed her and watched Kate's mouth fall open. "We're not going there. Uh-uh, no way. It was bad enough watching Javi get swallowed whole by that Rhemoraz, then the damn thing fell on me, breaking a few ribs and, I'm thinking, punctured a lung. That damn thing was pure evil and a pain in my frozen ass." Kate definitely didn't want to see one of those things again. "I still haven't seen a dragon. Can you believe that? A real, honest-to-god-dragon! Some breathe fire, others acid, even cold. If they're as bad as in the movies, I don't want to see one of those either." Kate rolled her eyes.

"Are you still going to go out, what did Katherine call it? Adventuring?" Alexis inquired. Kate breathed in and let out a large breath. "Probably, yeah. It's how we make money. Yes, I'm starting up a small business, but if I teach my employees how to do what I do, I'll have the time. And yes, we're making money selling spices. It's just that I've learned that the best and more powerful magic items cost a small fortune. Neither of these things are going to get us that kind of money." Kate wanted her sons to have a better life.

"What about your sons?" Alexis questioned. Kate shrugged. "Daycare? Families do it here, I'm simply going out to earn money like they do. Just differently," she replied.

"I'm going to miss you. Yes, I'll get Kat back, but I'm still going to miss you." Alexis hugged her and got hugged back. "Katherine has chosen well. You're not my type but you're a good person with a good heart. I can see what she sees in you."

"I still can't believe all this. Dad in your world has two boys. Dad in my world has two girls. Kat had an Alexis in her world and she has me in this one. I just don't know where your friends are in this world. Maybe I'll have to go looking for them, see who and what they are," Alexis remarked.

Kate sat down at the table and picked up both coins since she didn't know which one still worked. "I've arranged for a couple of items for you two. Call them a delayed Christmas present." She placed a hand on the skull and looked out at the water. "Bye," Alexis said through her hands as her tears fell. "Live a good life Alexis Harper Castle-Beckett." She smiled at the look of surprise on Alexis's face and made her wish.

"Did it work?" Alexis asked, watching Kate blink her eyes, not noticing Rachel standing at the french doors leading out onto the deck holding one of the girls in her arms.


	69. Chapter 69

**K and K 69**

 **Epilogue**

"Did what work?" Rachel questioned as she walked outside right up to both of them. She noticed that Katherine jumped up and that both of them had a look of shock on their faces along with a touch of fear. "So who are you and I want an answer this time." Rachel stared at them. "How much did you hear?" Alexis was filled with fear. "Almost everything. Something about another world, dragons, killing, and the rest. So who are you?" Rachel asked yet again. Katherine looked at Alexis who was scared. She desperately hoped Rachel would understand.

"I'm a Druid from another world who found herself in this world by accident. We've been using the skull and coins to magically mentally change places with a different Katherine Beckett." Katherine turned to wave at the skull and coins. "IT'S GONE! Where did it go?" Katherine frantically searched the table top with her hands like it should be there but was just invisible. Alexis dived under the table to look for it. Katherine slumped. "It doesn't matter, she used the last coin anyway. We're both stuck in each other's world for the rest of our lives." It was what they wanted, but still it felt wrong somehow.

"Start at the beginning," Rachel demanded. "There is a Katherine Beckett in this world and in the one I'm from. I'm...twenty-five now and she's thirty-nine." Then it occurred to her. "Am I younger or still thirty-nine?" Alexis shook her head. It told Katherine that it didn't work, that she was still thirty-nine. "I thought as much, Rick explained that magic was singular. It worked the way it was supposed to and couldn't simply be changed. If a _Lightning Bolt_ spell was designed to be blue, you couldn't just change it to purple because you wanted it to. It would always be blue. We asked for something it couldn't do." Katherine was still bummed and sat down, dejected. She was out thirteen years of her life.

"Rick?" Rachel had heard everything but not processing any of it. "Not Dad, a different Rick, the Richard Castle in her world. In her world Dad is a wizard who casts spells," Alexis explained. "Spells, like illusions?" Rachel looked around for the mirrors. Alexis moved further out into the yard over where the yard was still a mess. "Show her, I trust you." Alexis spread her arms wide and waited. Katherine stood up and cast her spell, _Entangle._ They watched as the plants suddenly came to life and quickly began wrapping themselves around her, encasing her in plants. It was only when they reached Alexis's throat and started choking her that Katherine canceled the spell. "It's called _Entangle._ Basically I can make plants grow and entangle those that are in the area of effect. I know several, some more powerful than others. Like _Flare."_ And Katherine shot a flare up into the air that died out when it reached the end of the spell.

"There are several others. A Druid is a person of Nature. I value Nature above everything else. I can change a raging bull elephant into a loving pussycat. Or turn a house cat into a tornado of claws. I can even heal their wounds with a simple spell," Katherine revealed. "It's why we're studying to be veterinarians. Kat's skill would make us the best veterinarians on the planet. She just needs that certificate to practice," Alexis said.

Rachel was shocked and little lost. Other worlds, real magic, T-Rex, real dragons? "So who are you? The other you? You, you?" Rachel wasn't sure how to ask or maybe just what she was asking. "That Kate is gone forever. Can't you just leave it at that? Kat just looks like her but she isn't her," Alexis all but begged. "Enough money to buy and build your home on that island. Flying around in a multi-million dollar plane. A million dollar home in Kansas City, another million dollars in a sports car. You... _she_ said she had blood on her hands. I'm guessing she, you, whoever, is someone I wouldn't like, except to see her in prison for life," Rachel was betting.

"Kate is different in the other world. Her ability actually works out better for her there. It can be a very dangerous place. I was nineteen years old and chasing down a stray goat that got away up into a local mountain. I watched a hoard of Orcs and Trolls enter my village, killing everyone and everything. I watched as my parents died right in front of my eyes." Katherine wiped away the tears that she still couldn't stop. "They didn't even leave me their bodies, they took everything." Katherine's lower lip was quivering and she found it hard to speak. Immediately she found Alexis's arms around her from behind which allowed her to lean back into her and hold her hands in place.

"I had met some new friends when suddenly, I found myself somewhere else, all alone in a frozen wasteland next to a large lake. It was a prison to me, a nice one, but still a prison," Katherine stated flatly. "They've been changing places for about two years now. This was the last time. The magic is all used up and the skull and coins are gone anyway." Alexis stood up for the person she loved. "Kat isn't Kate except in body. Please!?" Now Alexis begged.

"You're the one that stopped Rick's father from taking him." Rachel was catching on. "I couldn't let him just take Alexis's father, not after I went to all the trouble to bring him back to life," Katherine said which had Rachel looking shocked. "So Rick really was dead?" Alexis and Katherine nodded. "Dad died in that ISIS attack in Paris. Blew him into pieces." Alexis hugged Katherine a little tighter. "During one of our switches I learned how to write a spell called _True Resurrection_. It's a very powerful spell in my world, one of the highest. It didn't matter how long the person was dead, or if you even had their body, or even a piece of it. It cost me $1.25 million in diamonds, but I was ready to do it as many times as it would take till I had used up every penny I had. I only learned during this last switch that I didn't screw up the spell. Rick was meant to lose his memory," Katherine informed both of them.

Alexis buried her head into Katherine's back. "Thank you." She still owed her for giving her her dad back. " _I married a dead man._ ...Does he know?" Rachel watched them both nod. "I'm going to kill him. You're going to need more diamonds soon." Rachel wasn't really going to kill him, she loved him too much to do that. However that didn't mean he got to keep his ears after she gave him a piece of her mind. "Who else knows about this?"

"Just Grams, Dad, and now you. And of course Kate, who isn't here anymore," Alexis answered. Katherine spun around and told Alexis her news. "Speaking of scrolls – I learned how to make them this trip! I can write them and you can read them. I just have to teach you how to read magic." Alexis was shocked. "I CAN CAST REAL SPELLS!?" She never expected to be able to do it herself. "Just as soon as I teach you how to read them. It takes a few hours based on how strong each spell is to write them. The stronger they are, the longer it will take me to write them." Alexis squealed and kissed her with all the love she could put into the kiss.

Rachel turned her head to give them the illusion of privacy. Alexis finally broke from the kiss. "Please don't kill Dad. Losing him the first time hurt too much as it is. I can't lose him again," Alexis pleaded with Rachel thinking that she meant it. "I'm not going to kill him. I'm just going to bend him a little." Rachel smiled wide.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Guri came running when she was called, her boyfriend right behind her. Once in the room, they all watched for a while. As she watched, her heart became more constricted and she was actually squeezing her boyfriend's arm till it hurt. Arodon didn't complain, Guri was worth it. She also placed a hand over his eyes to give the woman a piece of privacy which only made him love Guri a little more. She was finally dressed in something that fit her and yet was still gorgeous on her. She was obviously pregnant and looked really familiar to him.

"We have to go. Go tell Father that I am leaving but will be back soon." Guri grabbed Arodon's hand, dragged him behind her down the stairs, out the front gate, and around the mountain. Arodon had been here before, several time actually. Guri had brought him here to introduce him to her human friends, including Kate who really knew how to cook. He didn't want to press her to come here more often, but he always dropped whatever he was doing when she suggested it.

"Hi, may we come in?" Guri and Arodon knew the words that would get them past the Golems that protected the house, asking was simply the right thing to do. "Guri, Arodon, please come in. Kate and the others are upstairs. You're a little early for dinner. I'm not sure Kate has even started yet," Jenny warned them. "Good, come with us." Guri ran up the stairs. She found Kate in the kitchen just starting to heat up her stove. "Kate!" Guri couldn't help it, she grabbed her arm and held it. "Guri, Arodon. Please say you're staying for dinner." They were friends and the more the merrier. Guri shook her head. "I need you and the others to come with us. Bring the boys and Angela with you," she told Kate then turned her head when she heard one of the boys laughing and being maybe just a little too happy with himself while playing with Rick in the living room.

"You need to bring all of Katherine's possessions with you," Guri told her. "Why, what's going on?" Kate didn't understand. There was no way she was going to sell Katherine's items. They didn't need the money. Yes, in the last year they had gone through the mirror one more time and stopped yet another plan that Lolth had created. That mission had earned them another 15,000 gold pieces per person from Yuri along with another 28,406 gold pieces for each of them in treasure. It wasn't enough to buy another very magical item like last time, but they were getting there. They were living comfortably.

"You are wasting time! Just go get them and come back downstairs. We will be waiting. Now go, go!" Guri pushed Kate toward the stairs as she and Arodon once again stop at the massive painting that was hanging on the wall. It was an island with a mountain that had plants almost obscuring it on one end. A building made solely of glass was next to it. They saw terraces filled with plants, shiny panels, and what Kate called windmills filling out the rest of the island. In one corner was Kate who looked older, and in the other corner was a younger woman with short, fiery red hair. They were both lovely. Seeing it made Guri smile. "Is that..." Guri clapped a hand over his mouth before he said too much and dragged him back downstairs.

It took time but soon everyone was downstairs, with Rick carrying one of the 18-month-old boys while Kate had the other and Kevin had Angela. They all knew how to walk, just not fast, or for very long. Except for when they wanted to, then they were sprinters that kept the adults on their toes.

"Let us leave now," Guri told them and took off for the cloud that was their home during winter, like it was now. As Guri understood it, Thanksgiving was coming up soon and she, Arodon, and Yuri had been invited over for a feast. "We didn't bring any of our weapons," Kate pointed out as she recognized where they were going. "You will not need them. You did bring all of Katherine's items?" Guri inquired and watched Kate twist her body to show off her backpack.

The room wasn't that big, but it was big enough since Guri was an Elf as was Arodon. Inside was a single mirror. "Now watch," Guri urged and all of them looked into the mirror. It looked to be a room filled with clothes and then they saw a young woman with short, fiery red hair come into view wearing only a bra and panties. She took out a pair of pants and slipped them on. Guri grinned and placed a hand over Arodon's eyes who simply smiled back at her. She was soon dressed and was looking herself over before leaving their sight.

Kate had a hand over her mouth and had stopped breathing. After the young woman was gone from view, she asked, "Was that..." Guri interrupted her. "I believe so, she looks like the woman in your painting." Kate was still amazed. She had had a painting made of her home here with a painting of everyone here, including James, Tyler, and Angela. She was astonished to find out that Katherine had done the same for her home. She laughed while crying at the same time. It also gave her some fear that all of this was just a dream.

"Step through," Guri said. Kate looked between Guri, the mirror, and Rick. "All of you. If I am right, this is the correct world," Guri told them. Rick nodded when Kate looked at him. She trusted Guri so into the mirror she went. She stepped into a large walk-in or maybe walk-through closet. She went toward the door that was open that she was guessing the young woman with red hair had gone through. She found her at the dresser putting on jewelry. It looked like she was getting ready to go somewhere formal. She was nicely dressed in an outfit that was just a touch daring and she was still barefoot.

"Hi Alexis," Kate said quietly, trying not to frighten her. She watched as a shocked Alexis spun in place and looked scared for a moment. "Kate?" She was young like the woman in the painting that was hanging on their wall above the fireplace. "Dad?" Behind her stepped Rick, both of them carrying a young boy, soon followed by the others as they crowded into the room out of the closet. Including Guri and Arodon. "Kate," Alexis said again. "How? ...You found our mirror!" Suddenly Alexis understood and watched Kate nod. Alexis wasn't sure if she should cry or laugh so she did both. "Sarah! Have Kat come up to the bedroom and tell her to leave the dogs behind. Tell her to hurry."

"Dogs?" Kate asked. "We have three actually, a Collie, a Golden Retriever, and a Chocolate Labrador. Each is an animal companion to Kat. She said that if she only had the one it would be more powerful but we compromised on three. They're adorable, but they're also a little protective of both of us. They may be Kat's but they feel like mine too."

"Are we interrupting something?" Rick asked. "Not anymore," Alexis replied since she knew they weren't going anywhere now. Alexis walked over to Kate. "Who is this?" Alexis held his hand. "This is James and that's Tyler. They're 18-months-old." Alexis smiled and stepped over to Kevin. "You must be Angela, she's lovely," Alexis said. "Thanks," Jenny responded. "May I?" Alexis held out her arms. Angela was the smaller of the three and she thought she would be easier to hold. Jenny had given birth to her while Katherine had been there. She was a little premature, but she appeared to be perfectly healthy.

Kevin passed off Angela to Alexis who held her and stared into her eyes. "How would you like a little sister?" Alexis inquired then heard the doors to the elevator open. "You guys are in for a surprise," Alexis stated just before Katherine came charging into the room dressed for a night out on the town, complete with heels.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

As soon as Rachel had gone back into the house satisfied with the answers that she now had, Katherine had turned on Alexis. "I WANT A BABY!" Katherine held her clenched together hands over her heart. "You should see James and Tyler, they are both just so precious. I had to breastfeed them for two whole weeks. It's something I can't explain. I love them and want a baby. Can we have a baby? You don't have to do any of the work. I'll take care of him or her. PLEASE!?" Katherine looked at Alexis with such love on her face as well as pleading.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Katherine came charging into the master bedroom and they could all tell that she was pregnant. About four or maybe five months pregnant, but still pregnant. "Hi Katherine," Kate said. Katherine clapped both hands over her mouth, not that that stopped her tears. She recognized everyone except the two Elves in the back. "How did you...how?" Katherine worked at wiping away her tears and approached Kate. "Hi James, you don't know me, but I know you." James smiled, a little confused. He was in his mother's arms and yet his mother was standing in front of him. She just looked a little different. Still he smiled at her and reached out his arms, so Katherine took him from Kate.

Kate watched her look at her son with such love in her eyes. "I brought you something." Kate turned her back on Katherine. "My backpack, your backpack." Kate took it off and moved over to the bed and pulled everything in it out. Katherine stepped over to the bed. "My armor." She reached down with her free hand to feel the leaves that were sewn together. "And my sword." She ran a finger over it. "My Druid's Vest!" Katherine started crying again as James tried to wipe them away. "Thank you!" Katherine would have hugged Kate but she still had James in her arms so she hugged him instead and kissed his face.

"How did you get here?" Katherine didn't understand. They could only change places, not physically move. "You can thank Guri for that. She only told us about this just moments ago," said Kate. "It is a pleasure to meet you again Katherine Houghton Beckett." Guri smiled, pleased that she could do this for her friends. She hadn't had friends before let alone a boyfriend till she met these humans. She was happy that she could help. "I thought you were a Cloud Giant not an Elf." Katherine was confused. "I was and now I am an Elf, a Royal Elf to be precise. This is Arodon, my boyfriend as Kate calls him," Guri said, introducing him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Kate and her friends have told me many stories about what you and Kate have been doing. Switching who you are into another body is amazing. I would love to hear your stories," Arodon said and bowed politely.

"We are obviously interrupting something," Guri pointed out. "Rick, Rachel, and the girls are here for a visit. They're downstairs in the living room with the dogs," Katherine told them as Kate glared at Alexis.

"You might as well join us, they all know everything anyway. We can eat in and talk. How long are you staying, and how did you get here anyway?" Katherine hadn't gotten her answer. "Guri found my world in the mirror and here we are," Kate responded. "You found us!" Katherine was smiling knowing what the odds were. "How far along are you?" Kate asked. "About five months, more or less. We selected the sperm from a sperm bank and it took three tries but it finally worked. I fell in love with your boys and wanted one of my own. Being forty is pushing it a bit, but this world has amazing medical technology, still it's a bit of a risk," Katherine admitted.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out. I truly was willing to give you your thirteen years back," Kate said. "It's alright, I have someone who loves me and I like it here," Katherine replied. "Boy or girl?" Rick spoke up being curious. "It's a girl, we still haven't decided on a name yet. I can even feel her move a little sometimes. It was bad at first," Katherine said. "Morning sickness?" Jenny inquired. Katherine nodded. "It was bad, Kat had me scared. We even went to the hospital one time because she couldn't keep anything down." Alexis had been really frightened for her and her baby. "I'm better now, mostly. Now I have these weird desires," Katherine confessed. "Cravings, Jenny had them bad," Kevin said then got smacked in the arm by Jenny for his comment.

"Perhaps I can help?" a new voice called out and had everyone turning towards the voice. Guri and Arodon drew their Elven swords at lightning speed. "You will not need those." She simply waved her hand at the two of them and they all watched as Guri and Arodon put them back in their scabbards instantly.

"Who...?" Rick began only to be interrupted. **"MOM!?"** Both Kate and Katherine said at the same time, utterly shocked. "Partly right and yet right both times. It's hard to explain. I'm afraid I don't have much time." She slid past everyone effortlessly and stopped in front of Katherine. "Hello Katie." She stroked her hand down Katherine's cheek. "Your father and I are so very proud of you. You've done so well. I'm glad you weren't there sweetie, they would have killed you too," Jo said softly. She placed her hand on James's head when he started to get cranky at all of this. He was immediately calm and silent.

"I don't have much time. Your father and Alexis both say hello. I won the argument on who should come." Jo stepped over to Kate and cupped her face in her hands. "Your mother and father also send greetings. They are happy that you ceased being a thief/assassin. They really didn't want that for you. It hurt their hearts to see you in such pain. If they could take the vision of what you saw away they would. However, they do love your new life. The switch has done wonders for you. They both love you so very much." Jo kissed her forehead and turned back to her other daughter, ignoring the tears of both since she was short on time. "I have to go, but I've brought you a few things. Your father and I had to call in a few favors but we'll gladly pay the price." Jo took something out of her robes.

"This holds two potions. Each will make you younger by two to ten years. It's variable, so you may get only four if you drink both or you may get twenty. I have no control over that. Drink one and save the other for later and no, it will not affect the baby." Jo smiled softly and wanted so much to do so many things. "My daughter is going to be a mother." Jo blinked back her tears, mourning what she was going to miss. "Your parents are happy also. They wish they could be here to spoil their grandchildren rotten. Much as Jim and I do," Jo said, smiling at Kate.

"Also take this ring." Jo slid it onto her finger and Katherine immediately knew what it was and what it did.

 **Ring of Elemental Command - Air** , First, no **Air Elemental** could attack the wearer or even come within five feet. Second, this protection could be voided if the wearer tried to charm the Elemental. However failure removed the protection. Third, the wearer gained defensive adjustments against any other Air type creature. Fourth, they could cast the following spells: _Feather Fall_ (unlimited use, wearer only), _Resist Energy, Electricity_ (unlimited use, wearer only), _Gust of Wind_ (Twice per twenty-four hours), _Wind Wall_ (unlimited use), _Air Walk_ (once per day, wearer only), _Chain Lightning_ (once per week).

"And I brought this for you also." Jo slid a second ring on Katherine's fingers. **Ring of Regeneration**

"I have something for you too." Jo stepped over to Alexis and slid two rings on her fingers. **Ring of Regeneration** , **Ring of Djinni Calling**

"Don't _ever_ take either of them off, not for any reason, either of you. You'll both love them," Jo both told them and warned them. Then she gave Alexis the best motherly hug she could come up with. "Welcome to the Beckett family, dear. I'll be forever thankful that Katie found you and for the love you've given her." And she kissed her forehead and walked back over to Katherine. "I have to go Katie, my time is up." She hugged her crying daughter. "I love you sweetie, so does your father. Never forget that." She leaned over and brought her lips to Katherine's ear. "Your daughter is _perfect."_ Jo quickly stepped over to her other daughter and hugged her like she hadn't been able to do in years. "Jim will be there at the end. Try to listen to what he tells you honey." Then Jo turned into mist and was gone.

Seeing Jo left Kate and Katherine in tears while Alexis spun her first magical item on her finger, not knowing just what it would do or how expensive it was.

It was only later that Katherine understood what the elder Elven Cleric had told her about her parents being messengers of her god. "So this is what they do." It left both of them wondering if they stood any chance of doing what their parents were doing.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Yuri agreed to leave the mirror open onto the other world so long as a Beckett lived to use it. Kate, Katherine, Rick, Rachel, Kevin, Lanie, Jenny, and their combined children used it for years and years. Every Sunday became "go to someone's home on another world for lunch and dinner," week after week, year after year.

Katherine had her little girl, followed two years later by Alexis's little girl. Alexis got to see what life was like on Katherine's world as did their daughters. The dogs protected the both of them everywhere they went.

Katherine drank her first potion and she and Alexis, along with Kate and the others, agreed that she had gotten at least nine years younger if not a full ten years. It took her from forty down to thirty in an instant. It still left her three or four years older than Alexis.

Katherine stood there with the second potion in her hand the same day they found out Alexis was pregnant. "The odds of getting another nine or ten years aren't good. Even two years will make you only a year or two older than me and that's more than enough Kat. I love you at five years older and I'll love you if you're five years younger than me. Grace will never notice the difference. You'll still be Mom to her," Alexis told the love of her life and watched as Katherine drank the last one, keeping a close eye on her since it happened quickly last time.

In the end they agreed that Katherine got ten the first time and two years the second. It left her a single year older than the woman she was married to.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Rachel had gone into the house after getting her answers. "Alexis Harper Castle-Beckett?" Alexis glared at Katherine. "Damn." Kate had ratted her out, she just knew it. "I was saving it for a surprise, I even brought it with me," Katherine admitted. Alexis started smiling. "I brought mine with me, too." Alexis loved the look of shock on her face. "I love you."

They raced into the room they were sharing and it became a contest on who could find their ring first and pop the question. The wedding was small and lightly attended. It took place on their island and allowed the kids from another world to have some fun in a swimming pool and to take boat rides.

They had even gotten Jackson to bring Martha home for the wedding. One Rick from her world walked Katherine down the aisle while the other Rick walked his daughter down the aisle, and stepped off to one side to stand side by side and watch two very much in love women get married. The officiant who married them never said a word about the two Ricks. Maybe because of the two sets of twins.

"There's two of me and I'm a wizard! A real live wizard." Rick had even talked Rick into trying to teach him a magic spell. Rick never did get it right. Still, he found it to be really cool.

"You believe me now?" Katherine asked Rachel after their fifth visit to the other world for Rachel, Rick, and the girls as they sat down for dinner in The Golden Inn in Silverymoon. "I don't understand how, but yes, I believe you. It's actually interesting to see the level of technology this world has and the amount of magic these people use."

They both finally became veterinarians and used their boat to practice their profession in and on. If their clients couldn't come to them, they went to their clients. Katherine had gotten busy and wrote dozens of scrolls that even Alexis was using. Alexis smiled widely and danced in place the first time she read a _Cure Moderate Wounds_ scroll to heal the massive damage that a dog had gotten from running out in front of a car. Then she used another to heal the damaged bones, muscles and tendons.

The scrolls didn't solve everything, but in most cases they did.

The dog was all but dead when it was carried in and walked out with a limp that would leave it in a few days. "This is amazing!" Alexis smiled widely and kissed Katherine. She was casting real magic and watched it work miracles. There were _Neutralize Poison_ scrolls and _Remove Disease_ scrolls in addition to the _Cure Wounds_ scrolls.

"Tell me again what this ring does," Alexis asked Rick during one of her visits. "Basically it will always heal your body twenty-four hours a day. Get a cut and it's repaired. Break a bone and it's repaired. Someone puts a knife in you and tries to cut your liver out. It will repair the wound and regrow the organ. Lose your arm because of an accident and it will regrow within twenty-four hours. Ask Kate, she lost one of her legs on a mission immediately after she bought hers," he informed her.

Alexis spun the ring on her finger for months after she got it. Now it felt like a part of her and it was never coming off, EVER!

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate was in what had been their bed in their bedroom, struggling to breathe. Angela, her husband, and their two children lived here now. All her friends and her beloved Rick were long since gone. James had followed Javi and became a Ranger. His skill with the bow was unmatched by anyone she knew. Tyler had followed his father and had become a Wizard. Both had joined and teamed up with another group and were out in the world adventuring, going on missions, and making names for themselves. Last she had heard they were headed deep into the Underworld in a hunt for Drow.

Even her sister, Katherine, was long since gone along with Alexis, her Rick, and Rachel. Their girls had just left yesterday after visiting and having some fun. Rick and the others had gotten to see her world and marvel at the differences. They were even forced to go to the dentist each year and got fillings. Flew in Kate/Katherine's plane that Simon piloted them to a number of places. Saw her home in Fiji, went out on the boat. Saw Castle's in Germany and even took a Cruise in the Caribbean. It turned out that having all those bedrooms in each house had been a good thing. Weekends were spent in a different world, holidays and even vacations were spent there, exploring and learning.

Kate went into a painful spasm; thankfully it didn't last long. Angela raced up the stairs when one of the dogs they had started barking. She made it just in time to see Kate breathe her last breath and suddenly found a man she had never seen before standing there, closing Kate's eyes. "It's not the end Katie, it's only the beginning, try to remember" he murmured. "Who are you and how did you get in here?" demanded Angela. The Golems were still active and they had dogs everywhere. "Hello Angela. Thank you for looking after Katie for me and my wife. We'll take it from here." He was wrapped in mist that slowly dissipated; they were both gone when it cleared.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate convulsed and fell backwards onto the floor, stunning her for a moment. She looked around. Glass walls, wooden table and benches. She turned over, slowly got up, and looked around. "OH NO! ...I'm home, back in Canada. It was just a dream, all a dreammm." Kate wept bitter tears, falling to her knees as she sobbed, "NO, PLEASE!" She collapsed onto the floor. "Just a dream, a goddamn dream." She didn't want to go back to her old life, she loved her new one.

An hour later she was still lying on the floor weeping softly. She had died of old age, she knew that much. "Might as well make it permanent." Thinking of suicide was irrational but she didn't have a weapon in this house. Not even a hidden one. But then she realized she still did have one. The thought of it got her up off the floor and she looked at the dining room table. That weird gun along with the necessary rounds were still there. So was the cursed skull and eleven gold coins. "DAMN YOU!" Kate picked up the skull and was all set to throw it through the window. "Magic." Along with a vague memory of someone telling her something.

XXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxXXX

Kate was set and sitting at the dining room table. It had taken her two days to record her message and leave notes all over the house. It had been hell after she thought of it. Two long, stinking, agonizing months stuck in Canada when she didn't want to be alone anymore. However she wasn't going to subject Katherine to living in remote Canada again. She had grown to love her too much to do that to her again.

Kate looked around. "Have I got everything?" She worked at checking off her internal list. "Driving lessons starting next week. When to go for a run on the beach dressed in a bikini. The boat, Simon, how to use the phone, how to cook and do laundry." She prayed that she had thought of everything. It all needed to work. "Eleven gold coins, ten of which are still magical. Ten lives lived one after the other. Please let that be enough. ...Please let this work." Kate picked up two coins, since one of them had to be magical and placed a hand on the skull. Kate hoped her fore knowledge of what was to come would allow her to make changes. Each life would be familiar and yet different enough each time to live it and love it. It was said that immortality or in this case near immortality was boring, so she needed to make at least a few changes during each life to keep it interesting. Make it a life worth living, all ten or more times.

One item was that old piece of paper that was still vacuum sealed. She had done a little research on it and it looked like it was the original deed to a Castle in Italy along with part of the nearby town. Castle di Sismano located in the town of Todi in southern Umbria, it has 40 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms. The historic building sits on farmland, surrounded by farmhouses and a residential building complex of seven villas with attached gardens. It has a newly added pool.

For those looking to expand, the property includes six plots for the construction of single family or two-family homes. It might leave her in courts for years and she might have to create a new identity to keep hers from being found out, but it might prove fun.

Katherine blinked. "WHAT!? ...Where am I? ...RICK, KEVIN, LANIE, JAVI!?" she screamed, shaken to her core. Everything was so different. She had been outside and now she was inside, but just where was she? None of this looked even remotely familiar. Then she saw a giant note on the table in front of her. "Press the key marked ENTER." Looking down she saw something that had letters all over it. There was a note next to the word ENTER. "Press here."

Katherine looked around again and didn't see anyone around. Cautious and frightened, she did see a large number of notes pinned to things and areas all around her. There was a crystal object along with a number of gold coins. She picked up a coin and didn't recognize the design. At least she had a little bit of money though.

Finally she put her finger where it said ENTER. "Enter what?" Still she pressed it. Suddenly a face showed up on the vertical portion behind the letters. It looked like her, only older.

" _Hello Katherine_ _. M_ _y name is Katherine Houghton Beckett and do I have a story for you_ _!_ _If you're listening to this it means the magic worked. I have a lot to tell you and I've left you notes all over my home telling you how to use everything here. Please listen to what I have to tell you and read the notes I've left you._ _T_ _hey will tell you how to cook, do laundry, there_ _'_ _s even a boat you can use. I've arranged for other things and people to help you. I've tried to think of everything. When I'm done telling you everything, do what you think is right. Give me a few weeks at first or give me whole months. You'll understand, just do not miss a meeting with someone who is going to love you with all of their heart."_

" _You're an adventurer, a Druid who recently lost her parents and I'm sincerely sorry about that. I lost mine when I was nineteen years old. I found their tortured and butchered bodies. Even today I can still picture their bodies in my mind. It gave me nightmares for years. Something inside me broke and I became a different person, one I'm sure my parents would not approve of. Just sit down and get ready for the most exciting adventure you're ever going to have in you life. And if I'm right it'll be multiple lives for both of us_ _,_ _" Kate_ _said,_ _smil_ _ing_ _. "Please don't be scared, trust me, we're both going to love it. Shall we begin the adventure of our li_ _ves_ _and find the kind of love that will penetrate both of our hearts so completely that it'll make you feel like you've never lived or loved before_ _?"_

" _First off..."_


End file.
